Is an Entry Level Job in Nanoscience Right for You? was originally published on College Recruiter.
There are many entry level jobs available for recent college graduates, but some career fields like healthcare, accounting and finance, and science and engineering seem to fare better than others. And the science field is expanding into other areas, such as nanoscience, making the job outlook even more promising for science and engineering majors.
Recent graduates with bachelors’ degrees in nanoscience could get jobs as Aerospace engineers – with a median income of $87,610 per year – chemical engineers – with a median income of $78,860 – or mechanical engineers – with a median income of $69,850 at the entry level.
So, what exactly is nanoscience or nanotechnology?
“The nanoscale is a different kind of small,” explains Dean Hart, head of the NanoProfessor NanoScience Education Program. “A nanometer is one billionth of a meter, which is about 100,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper. What makes this scale of small so exciting? Objects in the range of 1-100 nm can exhibit unexpected chemical and physical properties. For example, materials on this scale can show dramatically increased reactivity, electrical and thermal conductivity, increased strength and decreased melting points. These astonishing new properties are the gateway to innovation in a variety of fields including chemistry, biology, physics, material science, engineering, and medicine.”
How is Nanoscience currently being used?
“From the nanoscale carbon black in tires that aid in automobile longevity and safety to nanoscale zinc oxide in sun block that helps protect our bodies from the sun’s harmful UV rays, nanotechnology is present in all walks of life,” said Hart. “The virtues of “small” and the positive impact it has in helping to create a “green” world has stimulated a tremendous drive to apply nanotechnology in virtually all areas of manufacturing and industry.”
Other ways that nanotechnology is being used, according to the National Science Foundation, is in manufacturing stronger, light weight tennis raquets, stain-free clothing and mattresses, and in dental bonding agents.
“Nanotechnology is also gaining strong attention in the life sciences arena for drug discovery and development including life-saving and life-prolonging research, such as stem cell studies and new drug release systems,” Hart continued. “As the world demands products that are faster, quicker, smaller, and cheaper, it is projected that nanotechnology will increasingly be looked at as the main route to delivery. Indeed, nanotechnology has grown in response to market needs and has the unique position of combining all scientific disciplines (physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering) to provide exciting new products for tomorrow’s world.”
Thanks to the ever growing field of nanotechnology, science and engineering majors stand a great chance of finding entry level jobs after graduation. “Nanotechnology-focused internships are growing quickly. For example, in the summer of 2009, the NanoBusiness Alliance placed several students into summer internships at leading Chicago-area nanotechnology companies including NanoInk, Advanced Diamond Technologies, Ohmx, NanoIntegris, Questek, Nanosphere, and Nanotope,” said Hart.
Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics – http://www.bls.gov
National Science Foundation – http://www.nsf.gov/
NanoProfessor NanoScience Education Program – http://www.nanoprofessor.net/HomeIntro.html
