news-record.com

GREENSBORO — The Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering at UNCG and N.C. A&T is taking shape in more ways than one.

Its physical location has been under construction since November. In the meantime, the UNC Board of Governors has given its approval for a master’s degree program in nanoscience and, during a meeting Friday, a doctoral program.

The programs have generated a good deal of interest, said David Perrin, provost and executive vice chancellor at UNCG.

“In fact, we have some students just waiting to get started in the master’s degree program,” Perrin said Friday.

They will likely get their chance in the spring, when Perrin said the university hopes to begin admitting a small number of master’s degree students. Admission of doctoral students will begin in the fall, Perrin said.

The School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering will teach students basic and applied research in nanotechnology, the science of manipulating molecules and atoms smaller than 100 nanometers. Officials with the joint school say universities that focus on nanotechnology research have helped stimulate economic growth in their surrounding communities.

The master’s degree program in nanoscience, which the Board of Governors approved in November, and the doctoral degree will be offered through UNCG. N.C. A&T will award the nanoengineering degrees.

Alton Thompson, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at N.C. A&T, said the university will seek approval in the spring from the Board of Governors to plan master’s and doctoral degree programs in nanoengineering. The programs could begin admitting students as soon as fall 2011, he said.

Perrin said Friday’s approval of the doctoral program is subject to the availability of funds. The university must demonstrate that it has sufficient funding to launch the program, but Perrin said he doesn’t anticipate any difficulty proving that.

The General Assembly appropriated about $60 million to launch the joint school, Perrin said. Most of the money is going toward construction.

UNCG is in the process of hiring faculty for its nanoscience programs. “We will fill these faculty positions as quickly as we can, but we want to do very thorough and careful searches,” Perrin said.

The Board of Governors on Friday also granted approval for two other doctoral programs: one in environmental health science at UNCG and another in computational science and engineering at N.C. A&T.

Computational scientists work in fields that require modeling and simulation, such as the automobile industry.

The program is the first of its kind in the state. N.C. A&T will recruit students this semester, and plans to start the program in the fall.

The board also approved UNCG’s request to reorganize its administration.

Perrin is now provost and executive vice chancellor. The vice provost, vice chancellor for student affairs, vice chancellor for research and economic development, and academic deans will all report to him.

In a Dec. 3 letter to UNC System President Erskine Bowles, UNCG Chancellor Linda Brady said the administrative structure is a common one among research universities across the country.

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 373-7080 or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com