Nanoscience

Why nano?

The fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology are providing us with new technologies every day, from stain-resistant fabrics to lightweight, strong sporting equipment to dramatic improvements in drug delivery and the treatment of diseases. The big breakthrough that has made “nano” such an important field is the ability to visualize species and events at the molecular level. Advanced microscopes and spectrometers provide unparalleled insights into physical and chemical properties at the nanoscale, and these new discoveries can lead directly to the development of new innovations and technologies. Nanoscience is also inherently multidisciplinary, requiring methodologies and understanding from many different scientific and engineering disciplines. In fact, many of the new advances in nano that impact our everyday lives come from discoveries made at the interface between disciplines, and this will continue for the foreseeable future. This is the true value of the BSc Nanoscience program: the multidisciplinary training of students in state-of-the-art techniques in the physical sciences. 

Classroom Experience

In the BSc Nanoscience program, classroom lectures are given by instructors who incorporate their own nanoscience research experience into the course material. The nanoscience courses combine aspects from different science disciplines, discussing topics that include nanoparticle synthesis, nanolithography, quantum materials, molecular electronics, computational modeling, bionanomaterials, quantum computing, nanoscale surface science, renewable energy, carbon dioxide capture and reduction, and sensing and biosensing. 

Laboratory Experience

One of the major highlights of the BSc Nanoscience program is the unique nanoscience undergraduate laboratory experience that begins in the students’ second year. The laboratory is an integrated facility that has a wide range of research-grade instrumentation that includes a scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopes, a scanning tunneling microscope, a range of optical spectrometers and many other state-of-the-art analytical instruments. In the nano labs, students learn how to synthesize nanoparticles and nanostructured materials, and then they characterize the physical properties of these materials, providing excellent feedback on the quality of their synthesis. The labs provide students with hands-on experience on instruments that are currently used in both industrial and academic research laboratories, making them immediately useful in co-op job placements and providing them with enviable preparation for further research in academia and industry. Each lab course reinforces our pedagogical goals, since we emphasize understanding of the phenomena and how instruments work, provide students with hands-on lab skills, and give students an opportunity to present their findings in the form of a scientific paper.

Communication Skills

Throughout the BSc Nanoscience program, we develop the students’ communication skills by having them present posters on their lab work, write critical reviews of journal papers and give oral presentations on their fourth-year research projects. 

Program Flexibility

The BSc Nanoscience program provides students with considerable flexibility in designing their own program, allowing them to select different academic pathways by pursuing their passions in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. 

Advantages of Multidisciplinary Approach

Many high school students have a difficult time in choosing a university program because they enjoy many different subjects. The multidisciplinary nature of the BSc Nanoscience program provides these students with the opportunity to learn different subjects while focusing their efforts on the technologically important area of the science of materials. 

Student Success

A significant percentage of graduates of the BSc Nanoscience program (46%) have gone on to graduate programs in a broad range of disciplines, including physics, chemistry, materials science, electrical and computer engineering, mechatronic engineering, and radiation oncology physics, as well as professional schools such as medical schools, at 17 different institutions in Canada, the US, the UK and Japan. The success rate of BSc Nanoscience graduates in winning graduate scholarships is outstanding, with 16% of these students awarded federal (NSERC) graduate scholarships and an additional 5% awarded provincial (OGS) graduate scholarships. Also, several BSc Nanoscience students have received the CEPS Graduation Prize, awarded to the student graduating with the highest cumulative average from an Honours Program in the college. 

In addition to providing them with the skills to succeed in graduate school, the multidisciplinary nature of the BSc Nanoscience program has given students the tools to succeed in a wide variety of industrial careers such as: Microscopist (E-Moli), Research Engineer (HP), Materials Engineer (Adient), Software Engineer (Predictum), Director of Circular Services (Stona Enso), Staff Scientist (Mirexus Biotechnologies), VP Investment Banking (National Bank), Marketing (Maple Leaf Foods Inc), Electrical Engineering (Toronto Hydro), Battery Test & Development Scientist (e-Zinc), Technology Development Representative (Bayer Crop Science), Machine Learning (Cohere AI), UAV Lead Developer (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), Operations Manager (Sanofi), and Metrology (Illumina).