NORTH CENTRAL STATE COLLEGE MOVES INTO NANOTECHNOLOGY WITH CURRICULUM FROM NANOPROFESSOR
SKOKIE, Ill. – NanoProfessor®, a division of NanoInk®, Inc. focused on
nanotechnology education, announced today that North Central State College (NC State) in
Mansfield, Ohio took the first step to integrating nanotechnology into its science education program by
purchasing the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program curriculum. Ken Ekegren, a registered
Professional Engineer and Assistant Professor for Engineering Technology at NC State, was awarded an
Innovation Fund grant from the NC State Foundation to help purchase the curriculum.
“This is the first step to integrating nanotechnology in the engineering and bioscience programs at NC
State, which we believe will better prepare our students to compete for highly specialized positions in
each field,” said Professor Ekegren. “The NanoProfessor curriculum will be included in the Engineering
Materials class and will provide students with an understanding of nanoscience and how it can be
applied to work with metals, polymers, and ceramics.”
North Central State College is a public, two-year community-based educational institution serving the
residents of north central Ohio. It offers high quality technical education in more than 60 associate
degree and certificate programs in health, business, public service, and engineering technologies, as well
as customized workforce training programs. The college enrolls 3,500 students and is the largest public
college within a 75 mile radius.
“We are pleased that North Central State College has become the first school in Ohio to integrate the
NanoProfessor curriculum into its current science and engineering offerings,” said Dean Hart, Chief
Commercial Officer at NanoInk. “We are looking forward to working with NC State to expand even
further its nanotechnology focus to include the state-of-art, nano-based instrumentation and hands-on
labs contained within the NanoProfessor Program, which will strengthen even further the nano-centric
skills NC State students will take to the marketplace.”
Ken Vaughan, Executive Director of Nano-Network and Vice President for Programs at PolymerOhio,
Inc., an Edison Technology Center focused on the polymer industry and advanced materials in Ohio,
said, “PolymerOhio works with over 2,800 polymer-based companies in Ohio and many will benefitfrom the emergence of nanotechnology in our industry. PolymerOhio believes that nanotechnology is
an important area for growth, which we promote through many activities including Ohio’s Nano-
Network with over 400 participants. The industry will be thrilled to learn that North Central State
College is preparing its students with a nanotechnology curriculum created by experts in the field. The
combination of a rising workforce need and nano-savvy students coming out of NC State will pay huge
dividends for the advanced materials industry in Ohio.”
The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to expand hands-on nanotechnology
education from the cleanrooms of research-based universities to undergraduate classrooms. The
NanoProfessor curriculum being implemented by NC State includes a timely textbook authored by
leading nanotechnology experts, covering the topics of Nanotechnology Instrumentation and
Fabrication, Nanophysics, Nanochemistry, Nanobiology, and Environmental, Health, & Safety perspectives on nanotechnology. NanoInk, NanoProfessor, and the NanoProfessor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.
About the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program
The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance the field of nanoscience and
address the growing need for a skilled workforce of nanotechnologists. The NanoProfessor Program,
including instrumentation, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is
available for undergraduate educational institutions worldwide.