UTPA STEM/CBI Courses/MEMS & NEMS/AFM

Course Title: MEMS & NEMS

Lecture Topic: Atomic Force Microscope

Instructor: Jacquelyn Austin and Stewart Beall

Institution: University of Texas-Pan American

Backwards Design

Course Objectives

• Primary Objectives- By the next class period students will be able to:
  • Understand the uses for an atomic force microscope
  • Understand how an atomic force microscope works
  • Understand the influence of the parameters on the atomic force microscope

• Sub Objectives- The objectives will require that students be able to:
  • Able to utilize and derive equations
  • Understand the parameters required to model an atomic force microscope

• Difficulties- Students may have difficulty:
  • Determining what equation would best be used to model the program
  • Working with MATLAB to model the problem

• Real-World Contexts- There are many ways that students can use this material in the real-world, such as:
  • Research on drugs and for drug administration
  • Product development for personal items such as teeth whitening, hair products, and contact lenses

Model of Knowledge

• Concept Map
  • Understand atomic force microscope
  • Understand equations
  • Formulate ideas
  • Express ideas by creating program

• Content Priorities
  • Enduring Understanding
    • Understand applied forces on cantilever beams
    • Understand Euler-Bernoulli Equation
  • Important to Do and Know
    • Euler-Bernoulli Equation
  • Worth Being Familiar with
    • MATLAB

Assessment of Learning

• Formative Assessment
  • In Class (groups)
    • Meetings with professor
  • Homework (individual)
    • Research
• Summative Assessment
  • Mid-term presentation
  • Final presentation

Legacy Cycle

OBJECTIVE

By the next class period, students will be able to:

• Understand the uses for an atomic force microscope
• Understand how an atomic force microscope works
• Understand the influence of the parameters on the atomic force microscope

The objectives will require that students be able to:

• Able to utilize and derive equations
• Understand the parameters required to model an atomic force microscope

THE CHALLENGE

The atomic force microscope is used for a wide variety of applications. Suppose you are working for a company that needs to model the conditions used for this apparatus and show how its behavior is depicted. Given a sample that does not deform under pressure, you must decide whether to create a model in contact, tapping, or non-contact mode. Why have you chosen this mode of operation and how will you go about modeling it using the engineering programs available in your workplace?

GENERATE IDEAS

• Organize Thoughts
  • The students will organize their ideas by considering what they know, and what they think they need to know in order to solve the challenge question.
• Share Ideas
  • The students will now break up into groups of two or three and will be given time to join their ideas. All students should be given an opportunity to speak within their group and no one should dominate the discussion. Once the students have collaborated with one another they should be given time to rethink their ideas and strategize for answering the challenge question.

MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES

• Classroom Lecture
  • The professor will lecture the students on the atomic force microscope and base equations used in modeling as well as an overview of various engineering programs that are useful in modeling systems. Students will be shown a brief video that shows the atomic force microscope in action. This entire lecture should be about 15 minutes as long, as its main purpose is to serve as an introduction to the topic so the students may gain a better understanding and be more engaged in the challenge.
• Student Assessment
  • The students will be asked to jot down any additional ideas that they may have as to how to approach the challenge. This will help the students gain an understanding as to how much information the attained from the classroom lecture. The students can be notified of this assignment at the beginning or end of the lecture but should not necessarily be used as a form of grading, rather a tool to motivate them to pay close attention to material presented in class which will ultimately assist them on their assignments.

RESEARCH & REVISE

• Topic Research
  • Students will be asked to research the topic in detail outside of class and write a paper on how the atomic force microscope operates. Included in the paper should also be interesting applications in which this equipment is used. The students should be notified of this assignment with a reasonable amount of time before the assignment is due. Also, they should be informed that certain students will present a brief 4 minute summary on their findings during the next class meeting. This will motivate the students to get started on their research and to begin organizing their ideas.
• Modeling Research
  • The students will also begin modeling the atomic force microscope. After much research the students should realize that MATLAB will provide them with the optimal solution for modeling.
• Present Research
  • The students will be asked about their findings during the next class period. They will also be asked to participate in discussion about the different applications. This should prompt students who are falling behind to increase their activity on the project so that they do not appear ignorant in the subject matter.

TEST YOUR METTLE

• Midway Presentations
  • The students will present on their work halfway through their project. The assessment of their piers will allow them to gain an insight of their work and alert them of any changes or improvements that may need to be made.
• Individual Meetings
  • As a form of formative feedback, the students will periodically meet, individually, with the professor to discuss the progress of their projects. This will serve as a way for the students to stay on task and receive guidance and assistance as needed.
• Continue Research and Revise
  • The students will now assess their own work and continue working on their research. They will basically repeat the research, revise and complete test your mettle stages as many times as necessary.

GO PUBLIC

• Final Presentations
  • The students will prepare a final report, a technical paper, and a MATLAB model covering the process of their project. These will be presented to the class at the end of the challenge. The students should be well prepared for this presentation given the instruction and guidance they have received throughout the project. They will also be given a rubric which will be made available to them at the start of the challenge. They will use this rubric to grade the performance of their classmates on the aforementioned challenge.