The Need for Convergence and Emergence in 21st Century Nano‐STEAM+ Education

The Need for Convergence and Emergence in 21st Century Nano‐STEAM+ Education

Daniel J.C. Herr, Ph.D., Nanoscience Department Chair and Director, Nanomanufacturing Innovation ConsortiumJoint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering; andChair, ITRS Emerging Research Materials Working Group

336‐285‐2862; djherr@uncg.edu

1Nanoscale Science and Engineering Grantees Conference

Westin Hotel, Arlington, VA December 10th, 2015

Early Days of Electronic Information Processing

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On February 14, 1946, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania introduced ENIAC, the world’s first large‐scale, general purpose electronic computer, which could process more than 

100,000 calculations per second. ‐1995 SRC Annual Report

Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC)

My Dad,Donald L. Herr, was a member of the 

ENIAC Design Team

Trends in Electronic Switches

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iriseze.wordpress.com

Vacuum Tube (1946)

commons.wikimedia.org

Transistor (1947)

www.thocp.net

Monolithic IC (1959)

?www.techspot.com

I7 Chip (2014)

www.imageslides.com

Integrated Circuit (1958)

1904 Audionwww.wikiwand.com

Many ‘Ugly Ducklings’

Technology Incubation Phase (Yrs.) Innovation Phase (Yrs.)

Solid State Diode 1874 – 1900 1900 ‐ 1913

Vacuum Tube 1883 – 1904 1904 ‐ 1919

Transistor 1923 – 1948 1948 ‐ 1959

Integrated Circuit 1942 ‐ 1959 1959 ‐ 1966

Mean Phase Duration (Yrs.) 22 ± 6 (1σ) 12 ± 3 (1σ)Revised from D. Herr and V. Zhirnov (SRC/2003)

Evolution of an Emergent Technology Typical time‐scales for breakthrough ideas to impact society

Innovation Phase

Incubation and Infrastructure Phase

Novel Idea

Demonstrated Application

Manufactured Products

Industry

T = 0 T ~ 22 T ~ 34Years

Convergent Ideas Coalesce

Synthesis

Emergent Platforms

Design Educational Ecosystems to Achieve Desired ResultsWith Platform Enhanced Learning Opportunities

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StrategicEducational System 

Outcomes

Convergence EmergenceSynthesisLearning Discovery/Understanding Creation

NanomanufacturingNano‐Bio‐Info‐Cogno Convergence and EmergenceConvergence of Knowledge, Technology, and Society

New Socioeconomic Capabilities  ‐ M. Roco, NSEG Conference (2015)

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2019

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Company Start Year

New IC Manufacturers

Num

ber o

f  New

 Man

ufacturers

New Vacuum Tube Manufacturers

For Information Processing Technology, What’s Next?

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Where should we look for the next wave of emergent opportunities?

?www.techspot.com

Look for Ugly Ducklings

With a 34 year latency, the next big wave should soon emerge.

D. Herr (2014)

A Disruptive ‘Ugly Duckling’?

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Rec. #1: Leverage interdependent formal and informal expertise and infrastructures

Educational Stakeholders

AcademiaNNCIStudent & 

Family

ContinuingEducation

GraduatePrograms

UndergraduateCollege

Informal Education

Community& TechnicalCollege

K‐12

Government

Business

SocietySome Strategic Nano‐STEAM+ RecommendationsFrom the NSEE Workshop –

the Next Steps Report (10/29/15)

Diversity (in education) is a strategic advantage if there is a 

truly vibrant community, sustained by a web of relationships. 

From: The Web of Life, Fritjof Capra [Physicist, systems theorist, and philosopher

Everywhere

Thomas EdisonBill GatesSteve Jobs

Mark Zuckerberg

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Rec. #1: Leverage interdependent formal and informal expertise and infrastructures

“I was like a (child) playing on the sea‐shore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the 

great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” ‐ Isaac Newton

Formal Infrastructure

Functional Nanosystems

Nanobiophysics & Nanotoxicology

Fold It Nanoenhanced3D Fabrication

Robohand

Informal Infrastructure

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Rec. #2: Engage natural learning networksE.g. Hands‐on Platforms to Bridge Disciplines and Engage Creativity

Research

Education

Commerce

Nanoscience and NanoengineeringPhysical, Bio and Health Sciences/EngineeringMath/CodingSustainabilityTinkering

Other Liberal ArtsCommunicationCritical Thinking Social Studies

HistoryArts

CommunityService

EngagementConversationTinkering

IndustryJobs

InternshipsEntrepreneurshipSummer Science Academy

Functional and Sustainable Nanosystems/Assembly

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Educational Ecosystem

SustainableIncubation/ Innovation Platform

Physical Science

AcademiaCommunityGovernmentIndustry

Arts & Humanities

Business

Social Science

Engineering

Rec #3: Nurture Disciplinary Depth and Breadth, i.e., ‘+’Throughout the Interdependent Educational Ecosystem

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Rec. #4: Share a common language and makeNano‐STEAM+ accessible to all learners

www.dailymail.co.uk e.g. Prosthetics, neuronal architectures, cognitive systems

Leverage Stakeholders Who Know the Local Environment

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Some Emergent Transdisciplinary FrontiersE.g. Nature Aware Design, Fabrication, and Complex Functionality

The natural monolithic convergence and 

integration of form and function

Processing and BioelectronicsEnergy

Sensing Adaptive Coatings

Actuation Fabrication, Disassembly, and Reuse

Communication System Design and Archives

D. Herr, SRC SemiSynBio Workshop, February 2013

*In 2013, worldwide Semiconductor Revenue Topped ~$300B.

**Blood Tests‐on‐a‐Chip alone represent a >$1T market opportunity/yr!

*                     **Ex. A neutrophil chasing a S. aureus in our blood streamhas integrated sensors, 

processors, and actuators

Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.

‐ Deming, Berwick, and Betalden

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Let not what you do define what you are.Rather, let  what you want to become

define what you do.‐ John Hurt, NSF (1997)

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Thank You