The Pennsylvania Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology Partnership: Resource Sharing for Nanotechnology Workforce Development*

The Pennsylvania Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology (NMT) Partnership was established in 1998 with support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Through the NMT Partnership, the $25 million dollar equipment base of the Penn State Nanofabrication Facility and its staff are shared with community colleges and other Pennsylvania colleges and universities to enable these institutions to offer degrees in nanofabrication. In addition to providing semester-long, hands-on educational experiences for students from community colleges and other institutions, the NMT Partnership also offers professional development workshops in nanofabrication for educators, and nanofabrication `chip camps' for middle and high schools students. This year, the NMT Partnership received a NSF award as a Regional Center for Manufacturing Education in Nanofabrication.