Forsyth Tech enhances nano-education program with qNano

NORTH CAROLINA, United States, 7 October 2011 – Forsyth Technical Community College, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will be the first college in the US to use Izon Science’s qNano nanoparticle analysis system in a nano-education programme. The new technology will allow students pursuing Forsyth Tech’s highly rated nanotechnology degree to study nanoparticle properties and behavior with industry-leading precision.

Dr. Kevin J. Conley, Program Coordinator of Nanotechnology Education at Forsyth Technical Community College, says “Nanoparticles – such as proteins and polymers – are often smaller than the wavelength of light, so you can’t tell how big they are just by looking. By precise control of just a few variables, the qNano makes high-precision nanoparticle sizing a reality. The sound science on which it is designed rewards students for their critical thinking. So we have high expectations for the qNano as a teaching tool.”

Forsyth Tech’s Associate’s Degree in Nanotechnology was launched six years ago and remains the only degree program of its kind in the US Southeast.

Hans van der Voorn, Executive Chairman of Izon Science says, “Working together to improve nanotech education is extremely important to us. The qNano is very useful for teaching about particle size, number and the forces acting on the particles, as it has the unique ability to vary pressure and voltage and monitor individual particle behavior.”

Forsyth Tech’s Nanotechnology degree program prepares students to characterize and fabricate materials for biological, chemical and electrical applications at the nano-scale.
This includes developing nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery and cancer cures, lab-on-a-chip devices for medical assays, and nanoparticles for use in clothing, computers, cars, and aircraft.

Dr Conley says, “We prepare graduates for multidisciplinary careers. We train them to be compatible with biologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers. Our graduates are then able to help incorporate nanotechnologies into startup and established companies in the region. We also teach economics alongside the sciences to help promote growth of the nanotechnology sector in the US.”

According to Dr Conley, single-particle event counting will be the way forward for the nanotechnology industry. “The industry-standard particle-sizing method is DLS (Dynamic Light Scattering). This method reports averages over thousands of particle events. The qNano reports precise data for single events. In the long run, the simpler, more elegant method always wins.”

Forsyth Tech will further build the skills of students through collaborations and exchanges with other education institutes such as the University of Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand.

Forsyth Tech is the first customer in nano-education and the 100th customer using the instrument. A special All-Blacks edition 100th Instrument has been presented to commemorate the occasion.