Published: May 3, 2022
Gowned-up participants in the cleanroom

The two-day limited participation hands-on workshop in the area of material 3D nanofabrication and characterization was highly appreciated by our 13 participants from diverse academic and technical backgrounds. They were mostly graduate students from the CU system, local universities, and a couple of industrial professionals from the local companies. Based on the feedback received, overall, participants enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the COSINC facilities and tours of various CU Boulder’s research facilities. However, the clear winner was the cleanroom facility, where they had to gown in and carry out various experiential learning tasks, in particular, on the 3D nano printer, where they fabricated a three-dimensional structure of the Buff logo on a very small scale, as small as 10 times the size of the human hair. The lectures describing the theory behind various material fabrication and characterization techniques on the first day, were also great opportunities for them to engage and ask questions relevant to their projects. This workshop was one of the first series of hands-on training offered by COSINC and based on the reviews and demand, there will be several workshops on other material fabrication and characterization topics offered throughout the year. The workshops are enabling the workforce of the future by providing critical hands-on multidisciplinary skills and education that are applicable in a range of scientific and technical areas, from semiconductors, photonics, quantum science, energy, to environment and bio- and nano-medicine.