ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology-specific education has been a political goal since the early 2000s, after the announcement of the National Nanotechnology Initiative in the United States by the then President Clinton. In 2013, Nature Nanotechnology highlighted education in nanosciences and technologies in a special issue. A survey among students and recent graduates from different countries and disciplines revealed a preference for interdisciplinary education and for incorporating nanotechnology in school curriculum. In the early days, a key issue on the agenda of nanoeducation experts was how to best incorporate interdisciplinary nanoeducation in higher education curricula. The invention of scanning probe microscopy and other instruments enabling the investigation of phenomena, at a nanometer scale since the 1980s, marks the emergence of an interdisciplinary area of research called nanoscience or nanosciences. A solid training in natural sciences and engineering (or STEM) followed by work experience in nanotechnology was considered desirable.
