2012 Keynote Biography
Dr. John Kirk
Associate Professor, Chemistry and Nanoscience
University of Wisconsin - Stout
Keynote Abstract
Nano isn't just small. It's big, and it's getting bigger. Nano-enabled products in the US grossed $91 billion in 2009 and are expected to top $3 trillion by 2020. Along with this astounding growth in business comes a sudden need to train workers: 6 million will be needed by the end of the decade to develop and manufacture these goods. Training a large workforce in a high technology field like nanotechnology is a difficult prospect. Advanced technology typically means high cost, and with today's shrinking education budgets, finding a new way of educating tomorrow's workforce is critical. We will look at cyberlearning and edutainment gaming as potential solutions to training the next generation of nanotech workers. In particular, we will preview gaming software that teaches how to synthesize gold nanoparticles and to use an electron microscope.
Appointments and Education
Associate Professor, Chemistry and Nanoscience, University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, WI
Visiting Assistant Professor/Postdoctoral Associate, Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Postdoctoral Associate, Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL
B.A., Chemistry, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
Research Interests
We are trying to harness the unique properties of nanomaterials to create robust sensors for compounds found in complex mixtures, for example glucose in whole blood. Silica colloid are small particles that are less than a few hundred nanometers in size. These particles can be deposited to form a well-organized colloidal crystal that has pore size of about the size of molecules. This is essentially a simple filter that excludes molecules and particles that are larger than the pore size. We are building our sensors out of these silica colloidal crystals and incorporating a second type of colloid: gold. Gold colloid has several unique properties as a result of it's nanoscale. This includes a beautiful intense red color that can change ever so slightly when molecules are close to the surface. In our mixed colloidal crystals, the silica colloid acts as a simple filter, while gold colloid acts as a sensing surface. Students work on this project are gaining an invaluable research experience grounded in interdisciplinary research, learning how to combine ideas from different areas of not just chemistry, but other sciences including materials science and surface science.
As a Primarily Undergraduate Institution teaching an increasing number of students in cutting-edge interdisciplinary fields (e.g. biotechnology, nanoscience, others), we are often times hard-pressed for funding of the high-cost instrumentation and techniques that our students will use in their chosen profession. There is a critical need for training our future scientists and engineers in these areas to remain competitive in the evolving world economy.
UW-Stout is in a unique position to explore an innovative solution to this problem that is faced by the majority of higher education institutions. In addition to engaging students in these high-tech areas of study, we have recently started a major in Game Design and Development that has attracted about 120 students in just two years. The major thrust of our proposed work would involve pairing groups of students in Game Design and Development courses with groups of students in courses of Nanoscience (and in similar interdisciplinary programs). These students would then develop games and/or simulations that incorporate advanced STEM topics on a level not normally addressed in their undergraduate studies.
The positive aspects of this project range from broadening student learning through the game development process; to the production of an educational gaming product for higher education or the general public; to incorporating industrial partners interested in increasing exposure to their methods and products.
Courses Taught
- General Chemistry, CHEM-115
- Chemistry for Health Sciences, CHEM-125
- College Chemistry I, CHEM-135
- Quantitative Analysis, CHEM-331
Courses Developed
- Nanostructures, NANO-301
- Characterization Methods of Nanomaterials, NANO-330