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eng. major with nanotechnology (1 Viewer)

rockets

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Can anyone who is doing nanotechnology give their thoughts on which branch of engineering would best link up with nano. I am doing a combined science/eng degree and want do to nano but can't quite decide on the eng. bit.
 

Slidey

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Materials science is the absolute best candidate. Mat Sci & Eng is essentially nanotech on the macroscopic scale... for a very crude definition.

As to which would provide the best boost to nanotech? Again, I'd say MSE. It's enough like nanotech to help with nano, but different enoguh to ensure you're not just covering the same thing.

Electrical engineering is another one - if you're going into the lithography industry (chip-making, one of the major markets for nanotech)

Photovoltaics would certainly be synergistic with nanotech, because as with lithography, nanotech will be needed to push cell efficiencies and perhaps do other special things.

Biomedical would be a very good one as biology and biotechnology go hand in hand with nano. Nature is the best nanotechnologist after all.

Essentially any engineering would work well, since nanotech will have a huge impact on every industry you can think of. But of them all, I'd say MSE.

What uni, BTW?
 

rockets

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Thanks slide rule, but it is UTS - so no chem, no biomedical
Any other thoughts?
 

Slidey

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I didn't mention chem.

Bioinformatics? Materials Science (is that what you meant by chem?)?

I mean, what're you interested in? Biology, chemistry, maths, physics?

If it is physics and maths, try Electrical Engineering.

Biology would probably be the best thing to couple it with, but I don't think UTS has bioinformatics and biotech is a science degree.
 

rockets

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I mean UTS has no chemical engineering or biomedical engineering.
Love chemistry and maths (did well in chem and 4U maths) and do enjoy it. Also did physics. I know I should have put down SYDNEY for 1st preference but am stuck with UTS and they don't have chemical or biomedical engineering. My only real options at UTS as I see it is electrical eng,mechanical eng or telecommunications eng. Would not mind doing mechanical engineering but not sure that nano and mech eng go that hand in hand.
Any thoughts??
 

Lexicographer

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Hi shelby, I tried responding by email (since that's how you contacted me) but you've got emails turned off in your profile. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I'm not actually an engineering student so I don't really know what's on offer, but most of my lecturers have been science/engineering crossovers. Besim Ben-Nissan in particular springs to mind, as he is interested in bioactive nanoceramics for use in medical implants. Wing Yeung is another, materials scientist, and Mike Stevens, surface chemist. It is a pity we don't have chemical or biomedical engineering (since these are my own interests) but I think mechanical would be your best bet at UTS if materials science isn't available under engineering. Be warned - as will all nanotechnology students, you'll find a LOT of the stuff you learn isn't relevant to nanotechnology, but the broader discipline. This is something we all bear with, because it's simply too silly to create special "physics for nanotechnology" etc subjects. You'll learn why it's silly once you've had a few weeks of uni. :)

And don't regret giving Sydney a miss. They've got more on offer for engineering, but the ONLY good thing about their nano is the bunch of electron microscopes they share with us (they live at Sydney because they have a bigger campus).
 

rockets

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Lexicogapher - thanks for that and was hoping you would add your 2 cents. Can you tell me why you think mechanical eng and how it enhances nano. Really want to hear your views as you are doing nano.
 

Lexicographer

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Mechanical deals with a lot of physics (since a major branch of physics is mechanics :p) and this kind of knowledge is very readily applied in nanotechnology. For example, those bioactive nanomaterial implants I mentioned are currently being used in hip replacements. There's also some interesting talk about nanogears (but they're constructed chemically) though as I said, I'm not in engineering so I can't say I know much about their course content.

Remember, UTS engineering has a Nanotechnology capstone available. I would strongly suggest asking the faculty advisors which stream THEY think would be best combined with nanotechnology (especially if that capstone isn't universally available). Or you could call A.Prof Mike Ford [course coordinator, BSc (Nanotechnology)] and ask him.

I wish I were able to tell you more. :(
 

rockets

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All your thoughts are much appreciated, so thanks again for that, just trying to get as much imput from all sources as possible.
good luck for this year!!!!!
 

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