General:
Physics 913 is a two-credit Special Problems course, targeted at graduate students in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Engineering with interest in the evolving interdisciplinary field of Nanoscale Science and Technology, often called Nanotechnology. In view of the fact that attendees are likely to have very diverse backgrounds, there are no formal course pre-requisites. Since behavior at the nanometer scale is governed by laws of quantum mechanics, I expect all participants to be familiar with its basic laws. Otherwise, the course will be self-contained.
By its nature, Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary field, building on latest progress especially in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Engineering. The ability of cross-disciplinary communication is absolutely crucial to achieve progress in the field. It is my intention to emphasize the basic understanding of the physical phenomena on the nanometer scale and to keep the formal treatment at a minimum. In this way, I hope to foster the ability of participants to communicate basic insights in Nanotechnology to scientists in other disciplines.
Web Information:
http://www.pa.msu.edu/~tomanek/PHY913/ contains the updated course information.
Instructor Information:
Prof. David Tomanek
4231 Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building
E-mail: tomanek@pa.msu.edu
Phone: +1-517-355-9702
Course Outline:
Lectures:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:50 – 3:30 p.m.
4270 Biomedical and Physical Sciences (BPS) Building
Office hours:
After class and by appointment.
Textbook:
There is no official textbook associated with this course. For Physicists, the level of the course will be similar to e.g. "Introduction to Solid State Physics" by Charles Kittel. For Chemists, the level should be close to "Physical Chemistry" by Walter J. Moore.
Homework and Pop Quizzes:
There will be no regular homework associated with the course. To encourage reflection on and review of the material taught, short conceptual pop quizzes will be administered during the course.
Student Presentations:
To demonstrate familiarity with the topic and ability to communicate concepts across discipline boundaries, each student in the course is expected to present a written report and an oral presentation on topics related to Nanotechnology (see http://www.pa.msu.edu/~tomanek/PHY913/Presentations.html).
Grades:
The grade point average used to determine the final grade will be based on the Pop Quizzes (10%), the Written Reports (45%) and the Oral Presentations (45%).
tomanek@pa.msu.edu