Aug 26 2009
The biotechnology program at the Harvard Extension School continues to find itself at the leading edge of science education, this year offering several new courses and a new master's concentration in the hot topic area of bioengineering and nanotechnologies.
These additions, along with the existing curriculum, will provide professional scientists with skills that fill new and evolving niches in the biotech industry.
Nanotechnology is the process of putting discoveries made at the nanoscale to use. To give an idea of this small size in terms of matter, there are 25.4 million nanometers per inch. Materials can have very different properties at the nanoscale—properties that when put to use, have the potential to improve our quality of life in a variety of diverse applications, from more effective medical devices and more durable materials to cleaner energy and new drug delivery techniques.
The Extension School has expanded its offerings to support the educational needs of those working, or aspiring to work, in this evolving field.
Courses are taught by distinguished faculty from Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). Students will have access to state-of-the-art equipment and hands-on lab experience in laboratory courses like ENSC E-156 Microfluidics Applications for Biological Analysis and Discovery.
There has been an unprecedented level of support and collaboration on behalf of the executive dean of SEAS, Fawwaz Habbal, and he and Dr. Anas Chalah pioneered the initial courses for Extension School students. Says Cheryl Vaughan, director of the Extension School biotechnology program, “This is an educational opportunity that part-time students rarely have access to.”
Students may sign up for individual courses or begin working on the admission criteria for a Master of Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in bioengineering and nanotechnologies.
View the range of engineering sciences courses offered this year and register now. Registration is under way and classes begin August 31, 2009.