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Engineering DesignWhat the students have to say…Our tour guide in Beijing was Dunkin. Dunkin was his Americanname, which was easy to remember because of Dunkin’ Donuts.When we were in Tiananmen Square he told us, “This squarecan hold one million people—one million Chinese people! NowAmericans are much bigger, so maybe 750,000 Americans.” He madeus all laugh.—Greg Brulo, sophomore, Mechanical EngineeringAs a business student, I really cherished this great opportunity to goto China, my home country, to learn the impact of history, culture,society, and environment on engineering design in China. It was abrand-new topic for me as a finance major. Throughout this course,I gained knowledge on engineering design in China, realized theadvancement of engineering design on people’s daily lives, andclearly saw the development of Chinese economy.—Wanlinyi He, sophomore, Business AdministrationI was able to experience ancient and modern engineering first hand.While touring the country, we were able learn how Chinese history,culture, society, and environment played a role in engineering designboth in the past and today.—William Finney, sophomore, Civil EngineeringSponsor ENGR 197If you or your company is looking for a way to help educate students on theimpact of globalization, please contact Xinli Wu at Xinli@psu.edu for moreinformation about sponsoring this course. Your sponsorship will greatlybenefit both our students and your company!The ENGR 197 class joined other Penn Statestudents doing internships in China for a hikeup the Great Wall.Photos: Xinli WuThe Chinese truly take pride in their work. If something needs to bedone, you can be certain that it will be completed swiftly. Whether it’sthe Three Gorges Dam or an entire city preparing for an expo, therewill be thousands of people working on it. This is why companiessuch as Boeing, Armstrong, and GE are able to thrive in China. Withmany people willing to work and the economic rise of China, globalopportunities are now being given to many companies.—Cesar Moreno, sophomore, EngineeringSince my return from China, I have faced many questions aboutthe trip, including, “So what did you learn while in China?” It is byfar the most difficult question to answer and is, of course, the mostfrequently asked. I was able to experience and learn so much whilein China that, when asked…I like to respond with, “Which day?”Each day of the class was so full of information and splendor thatthe question is a legitimate and necessary part of fully answering aperson’s inquiry.—Will Land, junior, Mechanical EngineeringFor some time, my plans have been to go into the corporateleadership realm of the commercial aviation industry. Never,however, did I imagine that I wanted to concentrate on theinternational realm of business—that was until my travels outside ofthe United States, specifically China, refocused my life plans.—Stephen Dobosh, senior, MeteorologyNANO-RAMAThrough training and education,Penn State aims to steernanotechnology research anddevelopment toward world changefor the betterA cancer patient is injected with a microscopic vehicle thatsafely delivers a potent drug directly to cancer cells. A footballplayer pulls on his lucky pair of socks, unwashed for tenstraight games, yet surprisingly odor-free. A college studenteats a week-old portion of leftover sushi and does not getsick.All of these scenarios may soon become a reality asnanotechnology—basically, the science of building objects atthe nanometer scale, or 100,000 times thinner than a humanhair—becomes an increasingly popular field.“Nanotechnology is expected to play a key role in the nextindustrial revolution,” said Stephen Fonash, director of thenew Nanotechnology Applications and Career Knowledge(NACK) Center at Penn State. NACK, funded in September2008 with a grant from the National Science Foundation(NSF), supports the development of two-year nanotechdegree programs across the country, offers professionaldevelopment programs for secondary teachers to becomenano-literate, and develops and delivers worker educationprograms.In Pennsylvania, more than 500 students from partnercommunity and technical colleges have completednanotechnology programs at Penn State, and nearly allof them have found nanotechnology jobs in more thanninety firms, ranging from pharmaceutical to photovoltaicscompanies.“Not only students but also industry personnel must have abetter understanding of nanotechnology and its far-reachingimplications if they hope to take advantage of the competitiveopportunities becoming available,” added Fonash.The nanometer scale is100,000 times thinner than ahuman hair.To Market, To MarketIt’s the ethical implications of nanotechnology that ledPenn State faculty Richard Doyle (English), Mark Horn(Engineering Science and Mechanics), and RichardDevon (Engineering Design) to develop and deliver anNSF-sponsored undergraduate course in which studentsexplore how nanotechnology is researched, designed, andcommercialized. Students in the class work in teams andcollaborate with nanotech researchers to create scenarios fordesign commercialization and social impact.Although nanotechnology is radically transforming our livesin wonderful ways, some health and safety analysts worryabout how nanoparticles will behave in our bodies and in theenvironment.“We need to think systemically about how these technologieswill alter our lives,” said Doyle.In fall 2009, Doyle, Horn, and Devon hosted what they referto as a “town hall on nano” with students who took the classin spring 2009, plus interested researchers and members ofthe community, to discuss nano research and how it mightaffect people and the environment.“It is important that not only students learn about thesetechnologies, but also that researchers and policy-makerslearn from the collective deliberations of students focusingtheir attention on this burgeoning field,” said Doyle. Thestudents’ scenarios will be shared with researchers in ongoingWikibooks on nanotechnology.—Penn State Outreach Magazine, Fall 2009Visit www.outreach.psu.edu/news/magazine/CurrentIssue to seethe entire issue!10 | SEDTAPP NEwS | SPriNg 2010 SPriNg 2010 | SEDTAPP NEwS | 11