what-is-nano.html

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title: what is nano eng?
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<blockquote>
    Ahem, you have “nano” in your bio. That is 100% synonymous with bs. [...] <br>Nano applies to everything &
    therefore means nothing. Definitely indicates bs. Sorry.
    --Elon Musk
</blockquote>

<p>
    Although as a nanotechnology engineering graduate I'd like to think Mr. Musk's sentiment is grossly uninformed (I
    happen to know more than one NE grad that has worked at Tesla), realistically it's not hard to see how he arrived
    at his conclusion.
</p>

<p>
    Nano certainly does apply to everything, and, as one of the more mythic scientific disciplines, it lends itself
    well to being used as a catch-all buzzword. Of course, that does not necessarily mean it always has no meaning,
    even if the constant hype around what is a very esoteric field of study has somewhat diluted its meaning in the
    minds of the public.
</p>

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<div style="color:#999;text-align: center;">Like many things in nanotechnology, the fabled 'wonder material' graphene is
    burdened by high expectations</div>

<p style="text-align: justify;">
        <div style="margin: 10px; float: right; width:300px; background-color: rgba(49, 132, 155, 0.2);">
                <div style="padding: 10px 15px; ">
                    Example courses available to an NE student:
                    <ul style="padding-left: 15px; margin: 5px 0 0 5px;">
                        <li><b>NE 471</b> Nano-electronics (+Lab)</li>
                        <li><b>NE 408</b> Capstone Design Project </li>
                        <li><b>NE 454</b> Nano-instrumentation Lab</li>
                        <li><b>NE 451</b> Simulation Methods</li>
                        <li><b>NE 340</b> Microfab & Thin-film Tech (+Lab)</li>
                        <li><b>NE 353</b> Nanoprobing and Lithography</li>
                        <li><b>NE 344</b> Electronic Circuits & Integration</li>
                        <li><b>NE 352</b> Surfaces and Interfaces</li>
                        <li><b>NE 232</b> Quantum Mechanics</li>
                        <li><b>ECE 250</b> Data Structures & Algorithms</li>
                    </ul>
                </div>
            </div>
    Because nanotechnology is generally used to describe science at very small scales on the order of
    10<sup>-9</sup> m (small enough that our intuitive 'macro' understanding of physics starts to fall apart), its
    contributions are rarely noticed and almost never seen. Nevertheless nanotechnology has silently enabled much
    of the technological developments of the past decade, especially in VLSI silicon technologies.
</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">
    The University of the Waterloo is one of the few North American universities to take on the challenge of offering a
    fully accredited engineering degree for a field as broad as nano. Reflecting the breadth of the degree, the
    Nanotechnology Engineering program is offered collaboratively by three different departments:Chemical Engineering
    and Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, and the Chemistry department in the Faculty
    of Science. According to the official website, the program aims to:
</p>

<blockquote>
    [...] graduate nanotechnology professionals with hands-on materials science, clean-room fabrication and nanotools
    experience. Nanotechnology engineers will be at the forefront of research and development related to a cluster of
    technologies harnessing the unique properties and functions of nanoscale systems.
</blockquote>

<p>
    This is no easy feat, but for the most part is accomplished thanks in part to the university's world renowned
    co-op program which requires students to spend two years working as an engineer before graduating with
    their degree. In my case, and for many other nanotechnology engineering students this often translates into being
    afforded the opportunity to contribute to R&D at universities and companies (like Tesla) around the world. For many
    other NE students, their degree is simply a launch pad into software engineering, finance, or some other
    quantitative field.
</p>