APRIL 2--The International Engineering Consortium (IEC; Chicago, IL, USA; www.iec.org) is making Webcasts of the NanoEngineering TecForum presentations given at its recent DesignCon 2003 Conference in Santa Clara, CA, available free of charge. The six 45-minute presentations, filmed in their entirety at the January 2003 gathering, can be accessed free at
Presented by the IEC in conjunction with the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association, and with support from the US National Science Foundation, the NanoEngineering TecForum and NanoEngineering Education Workshop offered attendees a chance to hear from some of the leading thinkers in nanotechnology from academia, industry, and government. The TecForum focused on the current state of nanotechnology and its impact on university curricula. Current and future applications of nanoscale research and their implications for practicing engineers were also discussed.
More than 100 individuals representing 98 organizations participated in the TecForum and expressed enthusiasm for the event's focus on the ways that nanotechnology will change the teaching and practice of engineering. Vasundara Varadan, division director of Electrical and Communication Systems for the National Science Foundation and a TecForum participant, said, "The TecForum allowed for identifying the academic and industry needs to be addressed. These presentations lead to the formulation of effective strategies for the integration of nanotechnology into the university-level engineering curriculum to ensure successful training of students who can contribute meaningfully to the commercial development of nanotechnology."
