Nanotechnology is the fundamental technology of the 21st century's industrial revolution. Those who can control nanotechnology will be able to control the industry as well. Michiharu Nakamura

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology is the fundamental technology of the 21st century's industrial revolution. Those who can control nanotechnology will be able to control the industry as well.

Michiharu Nakamura

One of the basic questions scientists working in this field have asked themselves is how much smaller matter can get on an atomic and molecular scale. They set out on this quest to find the indivisible many years ago. The word "atom", which we very often use in our daily lives now, was coined with the combination of "tomos", which means "divisible", (originally "temno" for "I cut"), and the negativity prefix of "a", "not", making it literally mean "uncuttable" or "indivisible" in Greek. The discovery of the atom, defined as the smallest unit of matter, at the beginning of the 19th century has been accepted as the most realistic revolution in the world of science. With every decade that passes, more and more important research opportunities inherent in this discovery come to light. The attractive power of the subatomic world, as underlined in a speech by Feymann in the 1970s, has opened the door to a new world for scientists: Nanotechnology.

Many experts believe that nanotechnology will leave an indelible mark on the 21st century as a new industrial and information revolution. In the near future, the level a country has risen to in regard to nanotechnology will be the indicator of its economic power. It is anticipated that nanotechnology will make its presence felt primarily in the fields of material and biotechnology. When this technology is used more extensively in the coming years, it will be possible to produce thoroughly cleaner, more durable, lighter and more sensitive products.

Why Department of Nanotechnology in Turkey

It is thought that nanotechnology will have started to greatly impact on our lives before we reach the middle of the current century . Turkey has already started to take the necessary steps in order to produce nanotechnology. TÜBİTAK's Vision 2023 Program contains nanotechnology, and a road map has been regarding the steps to be taken. In this program, one of the main defined goals is to develop nanotechnologies in many research fields including health.

The most important development in the field of nanotechnology in Turkey is the establishment of the National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM) at Bilkent University.In the Middle East Technical University (METU), the METU-CENTER project has been launched. METU-CENTER is a three-year project within the Seventh Framework SSA of the European Union designed to improve and strengthen the human, information, and device infrastructure in the Central Lab of the METU in the fields of nano-technology and nanosciences, multifunctional materials, new production processes and devices, and biology-biotechnology. In addition, centers such as the Gebze Institute of High Technology, and the TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center are places where nanotechnology research is carried out.

Nanotechnology Education

In Turkey, nanotechnology education is given only at the graduate level. The number of nanotechnology programs opened in universities at the graduate and doctoral levels is increasing day by day. The education given in master's and doctoral programs covers the following areas: understanding and analyzing the physical and chemical traits of nanometer-scale structures; giving theoretical background to nanotechnology applications in many different areas; producing more durable and lighter materials with better electrical and thermal conduction; reducing the use of materials in the desired macro-level instrument; using designs that will minimize energy use; forming the required theoretical and mathematical infrastructure for the production of single and multi-layered functional sensors in a wide range of application fields such as telecommunications, healthcare, defense, environment, energy, and so on.

Qualifications Required of Students and Job Opportunities

Although nanotechnology covers many branches of science, it will give rise to quite striking developments particularly in the medical field. As a result of a series of research in materials science, nanotubes, stronger than steel but much more lightweight and flexible, were made of nano-sized carbon. Graphene, one of the most advanced fields of the study into nanotubes, has been identified by the European Union as one of the "flagship" projects among the research subjects of 2013. This project will take place in Turkey's Sabancı University. The decreasing of the price of carbon nanotubes, whose current production cost renders them impossible to use in daily life, depends on the mass production of graphene.

As understood from the work areas mentioned above, the programs which the students who want to work in this field may apply to are available only at the master's and doctoral levels. Therefore, depending on the undergraduate program they finished, they may be required to receive preparatory training. Owing to the importance Turkish engineering departments attach to micro/nano-level systems, graduates of all engineering programs can apply to these master's and doctoral programs. The acceptance of the application mainly depends on the student's grade point average (GPA). However, a paper or article published during undergraduate education may provide a significant advantage for being accepted to the program.

Since the sector has only recently started to develop, the only job opportunity seems to be in the academic field.