N.C. A&T State University Project Summary
NUE: Enhancing Undergraduate Students' Learning and Research Experiences
through Hands on Experiments on Bio-nanoengineering
Dr. Narayan Bhattarai, Department of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
One of the most pertinent applications of nanotechnology with excellent potential and promise of benefiting society is
in the realm of disease diagnosis and cure. Full realization of the promise of nanotechnology in biomedical
applications requires significant improvements in scientific and technological infrastructure as well as the training and
mentoring of a highly technical and qualified nanotechnology workforce with broad experiences in the areas of
engineering, biology and material science. Continued investment and innovation in education related to the synthesis,
characterization and application of bio-nano interfaces, specifically to support curricular enhancement and reform at
the undergraduate level, can achieve a broad impact.
Intellectual merit: A team of interdisciplinary faculty members from the Department of Chemical and
Bioengineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Chemistry at North Carolina A&T
State University (N.C. A&T), plans to enhance undergraduate student learning in bioengineering by introducing
training on devices and systems that integrate nanoscale technologies with biological systems for the development
of new materials, biomimetic nanostructures and tools. Such devices facilitate biomedical research especially in the
area of developing nanomaterials to improve clinical diagnostics and therapeutics, and regenerative medicine. This
approach is expected to enhance student knowledge and understanding of the bio-nano interface but also increase
proficiency in conducting research in the area of bio-nanoengineering while increasing the amount and quality of
undergraduate participation in our brand-new undergraduate bioengineering program at an early stage of student
matriculation (i.e. soon after choosing their major).
The team brings many years of broad experience utilizing cutting-edge nanotechnologies in various domains of
engineering and sciences, and also includes a faculty member with assessment expertise from N.C. A&T’s School of
Education to help conduct formative and summative evaluation on student learning. The team plans to adopt a fourpronged effort to bring changes and innovations in bio-nanoengineering curriculum. The first part of the proposed
efforts is the development of nanoengineering modules in the existing bioengineering curriculum for freshman to
junior-level students. These modules will serve as foundation to three additional activities to be developed in the other
parts of this project. In the second part, a team-taught sophomore through seniors in biomedical nanotechnology will
be offered as a technical elective and open to all majors. This course will include a significant hands-on laboratory
component. This new course will enhance the undergraduate student’s fundamental understanding of how the
physical and chemical properties of engineered nanomaterials influence their interactions with biological systems. The
third initiative will consist of the development of semester-long research course with sizable enrollment anticipated (15
to 20). Depending on the curricular requirements of their major departments, these selected students will have the
option to receive “Independent Study” or “Independent Research” course credit for this systematically-mentored and
monitored team activity. In the fourth activity, an interdisciplinary nanoengineering certificate program (INCP) at
undergraduate level will be developed. The program is envisioned to enhance awareness, instruction, research,
understanding of nanoengineering, especially bio-nanoengineering and its applications in daily life.
Broader Impact: N.C. A&T’s College of Engineering is consistently among the top two producers of AfricanAmerican engineers in the nation. NCAT is the nation’s first HBCU to receive the NSF-Engineering Research Center
Award (2009) and thereafter the first HBCU to independently offer BS and MS degree programs in bioengineering.
The proposed NUE project is expected to provide a significant number of underrepresented minority students with
training and mentoring focused on bio-nanoengineering. An undergraduate INCP certificate program demonstrating a
secondary area of specialization would not only complement the students’ major; it would also allow students to
become more flexible, versatile thinkers for collaboration and innovation. Besides the obvious benefit of attracting
significant number of the best undergraduates to our bioengineering program, selected meritorious students will also
be recruited and supported to work along with faculty in community outreach in leading summer camps for K-12
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N.C. A&T State University Project Summary
NUE: Enhancing Undergraduate Students' Learning and Research Experiences
through Hands on Experiments on Bio-nanoengineering
Dr. Narayan Bhattarai, Department of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering
educators and local school visitations to help increase underrepresented minority participation in the STEM
enterprise. Further the undergraduate students impacted by these initiatives are expected to add to the talent pool for
N.C. A&T’s graduate programs in traditional as well as in nontraditional engineering and science disciplines such as
Bioengineering, Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, and Computational Science and Engineering.
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