This course is designed to give students first-hand experience with a range of techniques used in the characterization of nanomaterials. The basic theory behind each technique will be covered in lectures, and will be followed by facility tours, demonstrations and training to allow students to have familiarity with characterization techniques and the tools to access these when needed for their own research work. A certificate will be awarded at the conclusion of the course listing each technique the student has achieved basic competency in.
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Instructor |
Dr. Michael Wolf, Room E318, mwolf@chem.ubc.ca |
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Textbook |
There is no textbook for the course, however lecture presentations and other materials will be available on the Canvas website. |
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Grading |
Participation 25% Final exam 50% Group proposal 25% |
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Participation |
Students are expected to participate actively in the course. Lecture and facility tour/demonstration attendance, and participation in the literature discussions is expected. |
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Final exam |
The final exam will be scheduled during the exam period. It will be a combination of multiple choice questions based on the lecture material and tours/demonstrations and an essay. |
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Group Proposal |
Students will be divided into groups of 3-5. Each group will form a research team in a small company working in the area of nanomaterials. The team’s goal is to come up with a research proposal for a new product, which will be developed by the company. The product must involve nanomaterials in some form, and the research leading to the product must use at least 3 of the characterization techniques covered in class. Each group will have 20 minutes to present their proposal to the company’s management team (the rest of the class) and convince them that the company should pursue this research. The presentation should include (1) justification why the product is needed and new, (2) a research plan for how the product will be developed including literature references, (3) details on which characterization methods will be used, why they are needed, and where the method is available (at UBC or elsewhere), (4) a research and development timeline and (5) a budget. |