North Central State College Moves Into Nanotechnology With Curriculum From NanoProfessor

SKOKIE, IL--(Marketwire - Feb 21, 2012) - NanoProfessor®, a division of NanoInk®, Inc. focused on nanotechnology education, announced today that North Central State College (NC State) in Mansfield, Ohio took the first step to integrating nanotechnology into its science education program by purchasing the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program curriculum. Ken Ekegren, a registered Professional Engineer and Assistant Professor for Engineering Technology at NC State, was awarded an Innovation Fund grant from the NC State Foundation to help purchase the curriculum.

"This is the first step to integrating nanotechnology in the engineering and bioscience programs at NC State, which we believe will better prepare our students to compete for highly specialized positions in each field," said Professor Ekegren. "The NanoProfessor curriculum will be included in the Engineering Materials class and will provide students with an understanding of nanoscience and how it can be applied to work with metals, polymers, and ceramics."

North Central State College is a public, two-year community-based educational institution serving the residents of north central Ohio. It offers high quality technical education in more than 60 associate degree and certificate programs in health, business, public service, and engineering technologies, as well as customized workforce training programs. The college enrolls 3,500 students and is the largest public college within a 75 mile radius.

"We are pleased that North Central State College has become the first school in Ohio to integrate the NanoProfessor curriculum into its current science and engineering offerings," said Dean Hart, Chief Commercial Officer at NanoInk. "We are looking forward to working with NC State to expand even further its nanotechnology focus to include the state-of-art, nano-based instrumentation and hands-on labs contained within the NanoProfessor Program, which will strengthen even further the nano-centric skills NC State students will take to the marketplace."

Ken Vaughan, Executive Director of Nano-Network and Vice President for Programs at PolymerOhio, Inc., an Edison Technology Center focused on the polymer industry and advanced materials in Ohio, said, "PolymerOhio works with over 2,800 polymer-based companies in Ohio and many will benefit from the emergence of nanotechnology in our industry. PolymerOhio believes that nanotechnology is an important area for growth, which we promote through many activities including Ohio's Nano-Network with over 400 participants. The industry will be thrilled to learn that North Central State College is preparing its students with a nanotechnology curriculum created by experts in the field. The combination of a rising workforce need and nano-savvy students coming out of NC State will pay huge dividends for the advanced materials industry in Ohio."

The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to expand hands-on nanotechnology education from the cleanrooms of research-based universities to undergraduate classrooms. The NanoProfessor curriculum being implemented by NC State includes a timely textbook authored by leading nanotechnology experts, covering the topics of Nanotechnology Instrumentation and Fabrication, Nanophysics, Nanochemistry, Nanobiology, and Environmental, Health, & Safety perspectives on nanotechnology. Excerpts from the NanoProfessor curriculum are available at: www.nanoprofessor.net/Excerpts/NP101_Excerpts1.pdf

NanoInk, NanoProfessor, and the NanoProfessor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NanoInk, Inc.

About the NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program
The NanoProfessor Nanoscience Education Program aims to advance the field of nanoscience and address the growing need for a skilled workforce of nanotechnologists. The NanoProfessor Program, including instrumentation, an expert-driven curriculum, and student/teacher support materials, is available for undergraduate educational institutions worldwide. More information is available at www.NanoProfessor.net or (847)679-NANO(6266). You can also follow NanoProfessor on Facebook® at www.facebook.com/pages/NanoProfessorTM/367787368082.