LAS VEGAS- June 24, 2008 - Science teachers and students from four area high schools will gain hands on experience in the emerging field of nanotechnology June 24-27 as part of the Nanotechnology Summer Institute (NSI) at UNLV.

Under the direction of Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering professor Biswajit Das, the NSI will provide an overview of nanotechnology and its applications and provide hands-on instruction in the laboratories of the Nevada Nanotechnology Center (NNC). The goal is for teachers to learn about the fastest growing field in science and to develop nanotechnology-based lessons for their own classrooms.

During the week-long program, teachers and their students from Foothill, Green Valley, Legacy and Pahrump Valley high schools will build a silicon wafer (etched with their school's logo) and examine integrated circuit technology using the advanced tools available within the center. Organizers hope the institute will not only introduce teachers to concepts in nanotechnology, but also give them new ideas to stimulate interest in science among local students.

Nanotechnology is widely believed to be the driving force behind the next industrial revolution and involves work at the molecular level to create new materials critical to applications in chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. Research in this area is leading to more efficient manufacturing processes and has improved our understanding of nature and the environment.

More information about the NNC can be found online at http://nanotechnology.unlv.edu.