Microtechnology, nanotechnology, and the scanning-probe microscope: an innovative course

An innovative combined microtechnology/nanotechnology/scanning-probe microscope (SPM) course for undergraduate and graduate students has been developed at the University of Nevada, Reno, in conjunction with Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Two years of technical SPM research carried out at Stanford University was transferred to the classroom before the results of the research were completed and published. The course, which was mapped to the Kolb learning cycle, was well received by students and serves as an example of an effective, innovative, and highly pertinent small-systems course anchored by the SPM.