Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Have you ever imagined that the medication you take to get better could be the reason you die? In 2014, Harvard University's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics reported that around 328,000 people die every year in the United States and Europe because of the side effects of medications. Medications save and treat millions of people around the world every day, but that doesn't change the fact that most drugs have side effects that vary in severity from person to person depending on their health condition or the dosage they receive, and those effects usually go away with time — though in some cases they can cause death as a result of their impact on certain vital cell functions in the body. So why do medications have side effects? You should understand that any drug's main job is to target the tissues and cells affected by a disease in order to treat it, but what happens is that the drug can also end up targeting some of the healthy tissue and cells nearby, which can disrupt and damage those cells — something called "side effects." For several years, scientists and researchers have been searching for a solution to this problem, until they arrived at the possibility of equipping medications with extremely tiny particles called "nanotechnology particles." These nanotechnology particles range in size from 1 to 100 nanometers. The nanometer is the smallest unit of measurement known to the world — 1 nanometer equals one billionth of a meter — which means these nanoparticles are hundreds of times smaller than the cells inside the body, making it possible for medications to target diseased cells and tissue with extreme precision without affecting the rest of the cells. Nanoparticles are essentially the tiny atoms and molecules of various naturally occurring materials that can't be seen with the naked eye, synthesized and developed in labs and research centers by a number of experts. These nano particles aren't only used in the pharmaceutical industry — they're now present in most sectors, going into the manufacturing of aircraft, cars, textiles, medical devices, and electronic devices like smartphones and computers, among countless other products across most industries that need them for an endless variety of purposes. From this you can appreciate the importance of the people working in this field, called "nanotechnology science or engineering." One of the key people working in this field, and who we'll talk about today, are "nanotechnology technicians" — they're responsible for preparing and setting up the tools and devices used by scientists and engineers in their experiments and research on synthesizing nano materials, on top of monitoring experiments and samples, recording results, and other tasks you'll learn about in the lines ahead.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Operate nanotechnology compounding, testing, processing, or production equipment in accordance with appropriate standard operating procedures, good manufacturing practices, hazardous material restrictions, or health and safety requirements.
- Maintain work area according to cleanroom or other processing standards.
- Produce images or measurements, using tools or techniques such as atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, particle size analysis, or zeta potential analysis.
- Collaborate with scientists or engineers to design or conduct experiments for the development of nanotechnology materials, components, devices, or systems.
- Repair nanotechnology processing or testing equipment or submit work orders for equipment repair.
- Measure or mix chemicals or compounds in accordance with detailed instructions or formulas.
- Monitor equipment during operation to ensure adherence to specifications for characteristics such as pressure, temperature, or flow.
- Collect or compile nanotechnology research or engineering data.
- Calibrate nanotechnology equipment, such as weighing, testing, or production equipment.
- Monitor hazardous waste cleanup procedures to ensure proper application of nanocomposites or accomplishment of objectives.
- Contribute written material or data for grant or patent applications.
- Inspect or measure thin films of carbon nanotubes, polymers, or inorganic coatings, using a variety of techniques or analytical tools.
- Develop or modify wet chemical or industrial laboratory experimental techniques for nanoscale use.
- Implement new or enhanced methods or processes for the processing, testing, or manufacture of nanotechnology materials or products.
- Prepare detailed verbal or written presentations for scientists, engineers, project managers, or upper management.
- Maintain accurate record or batch-record documentation of nanoproduction.
- Prepare capability data, training materials, or other documentation for transfer of processes to production.
- Assist nanoscientists or engineers in processing or characterizing materials according to physical or chemical properties.
- Assist nanoscientists or engineers in writing process specifications or documentation.