working in nanotechnologyAdvertisers are fond of exuberant words. P.T. Barnum is remembered for his delirious descriptors and astounding adjectives. Yet when we enter the world of nanotechnology, we have to rid ourselves of an entire menagerie of great words: colossal, enormous, jumbo, humongous. Do you really want to work for the world’s largest nanotechnology company? Do you truly hope the future of tiny things will be huge? To get the big picture of working small, you need to get the whole panoramic view. 

Nano Sites

The prefix “nano” simply means “a billionth,” so in the case of nanotechnology, a nanometer means a billionth of a meter. Such as measurement is very, very...very, very small. A strand of DNA is 2.5 nanometers in diameter. Human hair? 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers across (fair hair is thinner than red, which is thinner than black hair). If you care to measure speed, a nanometer per second is the growth rate for your fingernails (so says the National Nanotechnology Initiative, NNI, a part of the federal government). 

Working in nanoscale means working within the realm of objects one to 100 nanometers in size. For most jobs, you don’t want to take your work home with you, but when you work in nanotechnology, you would never even notice.nanomaterials

Nano Innovations

Innovations from the world of the extremely tiny are unfolding daily. These nano-level innovations—sure, we’ll call them nanovations and listen to P.T. Barnum applaud us from the grave—are changing the face of manufacturing, technology, merchandising, energy production and more. We are not yet to the science-fiction stage of having hostile nano-size robots invade our bloodstreams, but we are creating other wonders:

Nervous Nanos

When you routinely work around materials that are invisibly small, you quickly realize you cannot interact directly with the microscopic world. A caffeine-induced twitch could collapse a whole colony of carbon nanotubes. No, you work with marvelous machines that help you transform the basic elements of our world into minute miracles. Part of your work could mean designing, installing, and maintaining those machines. 

Natural Nanos

Nanomaterials exist in nature. With descriptions like nanoparticles, nanotubes, and nanoplates, these minuscule, everyday objects have beautified our world with majestic sunsets and thickened our atmosphere with volcanic dust. Smoke, sea spray, and volcanic ash are all nanoparticles. We macroworld beings live amid nanoworld splendor. 

Nurturing Nanos

damascus steelThe commercial prospects for nanotechnology are capitalizing on age-old ideas. All things thin, like the 50 nanometer-thick layer of gold applied to Apollo astronauts’ visors or the stained glass windows of medieval cathedrals, benefit from nanotechnology. Damascus steel, brazenly mimicked in Game of Thrones (“Valyrian steel” my eye), owes its strength and beautiful moiré pattern to carbon nanotubes and cementite nanowires. Beyond practicality and beauty, nanotechnology helps preserve our health. Nanoceramics can be used in dental implants or fill holes in decayed bone. Nanosized particles make medications easier to take; opticians apply nanocoatings to provide scratch resistance. 

Room to Grow

Nanotechnology may be older than our ability to see actual nanoparticles. This does not mean the industry is mature; it is hardly more than an infant, really. Despite the tiny quarters of the nano world, there exists plenty of room for talented, educated engineers, electro-mechanical technicians, technologists, and scientists to unravel the mysteries of the microscopic. 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) combines macroeconomic and microeconomic data about jobs in the United States, but it does not collect nanoeconomic data (yeah, we made that word up, too). You will not likely find nanotechnologists listed, so we have to rely on occupations that tap into the nanoworld: 

  • Mechanical engineers
  • Chemical engineers
  • Electro-mechanical technicians
  • Materials engineers
  • Electronics engineers

With a degree in electrical engineering technology concentrating in mechatronics, your closest match at the BLS would be electro-mechanical technician, which pays quite handsomely. You may work on a nanoscale, but your paycheck may also be seven orders of magnitude larger: 

Nanology

Sure, we made that word up, too—nanology, the study of the nanoworld. Studying electronics engineering technology with a concentration in mechatronics gives you the tools and skills you need to enter the tiny nanoworld of nanotechnology. Getting educated now could pay off handsomely in the future. 

Do You Dream of Working in Nanotechnology?

Enroll at ECPI University to tap into the Bachelor of Science program in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Mechatronics, and in 2.5 years you could be on your way to the big possibilities in nanotechnology. Contact ECPI University today to learn where you can squeeze into the nanoworld. It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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Gainful Employment Information – Mechatronics - Bachelor’s

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