Introduction to Material Science & Nanot

The progress of civilization is inscribed in the history of humans and their materials—the Stone Age, the Iron Age, and today’s Age of Plastics. Materials determine the technologies that provide protection, communication, information, construction, mechanization, agriculture, and health. Knowing why glass shatters, wood splinters, steel is tough, rubber stretches (and recovers), nylon can be drawn, and tin flattens makes possible the selection of materials for enormously different applications. Engineers are mostly successful at designing and manufacturing objects and devices, but on occasion there are catastrophic failures—bridges collapse, airplanes fall from the sky, containers leak, pipes burst, and the electrical grid goes down, leaving us cold and in the dark. And there are the annoying little failures—light bulbs burn out, clothes become permanently stained, foods spoil, and batteries die.

In this challenging course, participants experience a hands-on introduction to materials science, engineering, and technology, from the bulk properties of the solid state to the nanoscale properties of large and small molecules and single atoms. Special attention is given to nanoscale materials and devices because of their potential for defining the next generation of important materials and machines. It has been said that the nanoscale is the new frontier of science and technology.

Students investigate these worlds in a discovery-based environment, working under the guidance of an experienced instructor and a team of assistants, research scientists, and technologists from Columbia’s Department of Chemistry and from industry and national laboratories. The studio classroom format integrates laboratory and lecture and encourages teaching and learning especially useful to those considering undergraduate studies in engineering and science.