Middle School students experience cutting-edge technology

In late May, several Voorheesville Middle School students took a step into the future at NanoCareer Day at the University of Albany. At the event, students received an up-close look at careers that are emerging in the field of nanotechnology, which is the study and creation of minute technology, science and engineering applications.

Students also heard from professors at the college, had a tour of the facility and took part in hands-on demonstrations. This May, students will attend another career day at the school.

The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the Albany NanoTech complex houses several fabrication facilities that make computer chips and wafers for computer operations. It is the first college in the world devoted exclusively to the study of nanoscale science and engineering.

The complex is a training ground for college students seeking a degree in nanotechnology, as well as a place for scientists and engineers from companies such as IBM, Sony and Toshiba to conduct research and manufacture "nano products."

In the photo, students are pictured in masks and caps, which they discovered are an important aspect to working with nanotechnology. During an activity where they learned about "cleanrooms," the environment typically used in manufacturing or scientific research. “Cleanrooms” have low levels of environmental pollutants, such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles and chemical vapors. Students had a chance to try on the masks and caps that scientists wear in "cleanrooms." Employees also wear “bunny suits,” a floor length protective covering, which keeps the environment in the sterile rooms clean.

Photo by Mary Ann Beals.