Nano-Scale Heat Transfer Education at Carnegie Mellon University: Programs for Mechanical Engineering and High School Students

The evolving high technology industries of recent years have created a growing need for mechanical engineers with nano-scale heat transfer expertise to aid analysis, design, and fabrication of micro devices such as transistors, sensors, actuators, etc. The trends and predictions for activities in this field are even more promising for the next decade. Therefore, the new generation of mechanical engineers should have a reasonable knowledge of the subject to meet the growing demands of the job market. This has created need for inclusion of nano-scale heat transfer topics and experiments in the mechanical engineering curriculum. To meet this demand, we have started a few programs in the mechanical engineering department of the Carnegie Mellon University. We have added nano-scale heat transfer topics, including lab experiments, to some of the existing courses also have developed and offered new specialized courses on the subject. In addition, we have started a summer program for interested high school students entitled “The Exciting World of Thermal Engineering”. The purpose of the latter program has been to expose the student to the subject, and to create/promote enthusiasm for pursuing a thermal engineering career. In this paper we are going to explain the program and to share our observations and experiences.