Northwest Vista College has received a grant from the National Science Foundation to develop an enhanced curriculum in nanotechnology in San Antonio.
Northwest Vista president, Dr. Ric Baser, says Texas has the fourth largest number of nanotechnology companies in the U.S. – and this grant will help establish San Antonio as a hub for manufacturing in a number of those industries.
“A lot of those are going to be in the pharmaceuticals industry. A lot has changed – and a lot of things we take are based on micro- and nanotechnologies,” Baser said. “If you look at transportation and the way the formulation of gasoline and the formulation of a lot of the products we utilize have been enhanced because of the nanotechnology industry.”
Baser says there are 66 nanotechnology-related companies and 50 nanoscience-related research and community organizations in Texas.
The grant -- for more than $750,000 dollars -- also will establish The Alamo Institute for Materials Technology which will offer dual-credit courses at Northwest Vista, which is part of the Alamo Colleges, to help more high school students transition into college.
