California State University Northridge (CSUN) this week announced the launch of a new undergraduate program in nanotechnology, thanks to a $500,000 Grant from the Los Angeles-based W.M. Keck Foundation.

The grant money will be used to purchase a field emission scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy for the Advanced Materials Laboratory in CSUN's College of Engineering and Computer Science.

In addition to the undergraduate program, CSUN will also develop a nanotechnology course for local high schools. "Such pre-college nanotechnology exposure, along with participation in related robotics workshops and competitions, fires young imaginations and encourages pursuit of higher education in nanotechnology and other science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields," says CSUN professor of manufacturing systems engineering and management Behzad Bavarian.

More here from the Contra Costa Times ... more here from the San Fernando Business Journal ... and the press release is here.