The November Bragging Breakfast received a special guest via Congressman Joaquin Castro. He came to NVC to congratulate the college for receiving two nanotechnology-based grants worth $1.2 million.
With these grants, Northwest Vista College is positioning San Antonio as a nanotechnology education hub and putting students on a path to a lucrative career. The two grants awarded to NVC’s Advanced Materials Technology (formerly nanotechnology) program are:
- A three-year $763,417 grant titled Alamo Institute for Materials Technology (AIM-TEC) from the National Science Foundation.
- A 12-month $500,000 grant titled “Just-In-Time” Training and Education in Advanced Materials (JIT TEAM) from the Texas Workforce Commission.
Congressman Castro (TX-20) said these grants will address Texas’ critical nanotechnology workforce needs.
“Nanotechnology may be science conducted on an extremely small scale, but the field’s impact on our lives is momentous,” said Rep. Castro. “Thanks to nanotechnology, our mobile devices are smaller and faster, our medical treatments are more effective, and our energy resources are used more efficiently.”
Northwest Vista College’s nanotechnology program is one of only three nanotechnology associate degree programs at a Texas community college. NVC currently awards an Associate of Applied Science in Advanced Materials Technology and an Advanced Technical Certificate in Nanotechnology. These grants will enhance and expand NVC’s current program.
NVC President Dr. Ric Baser said that Texas has the fourth largest number of nanotechnology companies in the U.S.
“(These grants) will help us address the needs for specialized, skilled professionals in advanced materials technologies, which, in turn, will revolutionize the transportation, aerospace, biotechnology, healthcare and manufacturing industries,” Dr. Baser said.
With the addition of these two awards, NVC’s Advanced Materials Technology program will serve as a role model for other two-year programs to lead a network of educational institutions, National Science Foundation ATE Centers, and industry partners to meet regional company needs.
“It also positions San Antonio as a hub for advanced materials technology education,” said Dr. Barti Subramaniasiva, NVC Advanced Materials Technology program coordinator and the principal investigator of both these grants.
Below are just several of the objectives of both these grants:
- Creating dual credit pathways for high school students in collaboration with five local school districts;
- Increasing public knowledge of the impact of these advanced technologies through innovative, informal outreach programs;
- Introducing over a 1,000 middle- and high school students to nanotechnology through a mobile “nano-to-go” lab;
- Creating Student Nano Ambassadors Scholarship Program (10 students will receive $500 per semester) to encourage mentorship among the student community;
- Improving the enrollment and graduation rates of students majoring in Advanced Materials Technology, with an emphasis on increasing underrepresented students in STEM fields; and
- High School students will have the opportunity to join a nanotechnology summer program where they can earn CE credits, which will be converted to college credits if students choose to attend NVC after their high school graduation.
To learn more about NVC’s current Advanced Materials Technology degrees and awards, visit here.
