In To Africa: Teaching Nanoscience to Undergraduates in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- PDF / 1,778,509 Bytes
- 12 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 40 Downloads / 178 Views
In To Africa: Teaching Nanoscience to Undergraduates in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Brian H. Augustine1 and Orde Q. Munro2 1 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807, U.S.A. 2 School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, Pietermaritzburg, R.S.A. ABSTRACT There has been considerable interest in developing curricular programs and materials for teaching undergraduate courses in nanoscience in the United States and other developed countries in the past decade. Materials science and nanoscience research programs are growing in developing countries in South America, Africa and Asia. However, there still exists a significant disconnect between the research efforts in developing countries and undergraduate coursework. This report will focus on the teaching of an upper-division one semester lecture/laboratory course developed at James Madison University (JMU) called “The Science of the Small: An Introduction to the Nanoworld” taught in the School of Chemistry at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg (UKZN-PMB), South Africa in 2009 through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar program. We report insights into the preparation needed to teach a cutting-edge laboratory course in South Africa. Also addressed will be some of the challenges of teaching an instrument-intensive laboratory course in a developing country, academic preparation of the typical native isiZulu-speaking UKZN undergraduate student compared to a typical U.S. student, and pre and post attitudes and content assessment of students who were enrolled in the course. Further discussed will be observations of post-apartheid science and math education in South Africa, and the beginning of a pilot program bringing South African undergraduate students to the U.S. to gain undergraduate research experience. INTRODUCTION Nanoscience is an emerging and highly interdisciplinary field bridging the disciplines of chemistry, physics, engineering and biology. Research and funding in nanoscience and nanotechnology has rapidly expanded in the past decade in the developed world, and coursework at the graduate and more recently, undergraduate level have likewise proliferated in developed countries. While many scientists and governments in the developing world have recognized the potential afforded by nanotechnology through applications in diverse fields such as medicine, water and sanitation, clean energy and advanced materials, the development of coursework specifically in nanoscience is relatively rare. Nanoscience, if taught at all, is generally limited to instruction at the graduate level for the few students who matriculate into graduate programs in the sciences or engineering. Undergraduate training in nanoscience is almost unheard of in the developing world. Using this as a motivation, South African undergraduate students were introduced to “The Science of the Small: An Introduction the the Nanoworld” through the Fulbright U. S. Scholar program and the School of Chemistry at UKZN-PMB
Data Loading...
