Nanotechnology or Mechatronics (1 Viewer)

[Vietorious]

Im currently a HSC 2005 Student...Im intending to go Uni after i finish my HSC... I wanna choose between Nanotechnology or Mechatronics, but I dont know which ones better. And when I finish the course, will I be able to find a job easily with that qualification. So if u have any experience with these 2 subjects or if you know any other subjects which are similar to those two and you recommend it, please feel free to reply..
Thankyou.

 

[Slidey]

Nanotechnology is certainly something with immensely mind-blowing job prospects, compared to mechatronics... compared to everything.

Pay's bloody good, too - and if you don't like it here, why not go to, say, America or Germany, where your expertise will be treated like gold - literally.

Introductory reading (warning: the NASA one is long bust interesting):

http://www.nas.nasa.gov/Groups/Nanotechnology/publications/1997/applications/

http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Tech/Nanotech/

Further reading:

http://nanobot.blogspot.com/

http://members.tripod.com/~dave2004/nano2.html

Don't suppose it is hot air, either. Many, many nanotech products and uses have already been discovered and created.

I'm sure mechatronics would be interesting, but it can hardly contend with THIS. Nothing really can. Further, if you're interested in mechatronics it would be a logical step to going into mechanical nanotechnology, or some field which applies nanotechnology to mechatronics for likely astounding results.

The designation of nanotechnology as a key to economic success in the 21st century suggests that some of the most common paradigms of manufacturing will experience a fundamental change within the coming 10-20 years. I will discuss why a transition to nanotechnology is a desirable and necessary evolution, and why -- at the level of manufacturing -- a radical departure from conventional assembly techniques to self-assembly is unavoidable. The impact of the Nanotechnology Revolution we currently experience may only be comparable to that of the Industrial Revolution of the early 19th century. Understanding and designing atomic-scale devices with a new functionality will demand a new set of skills, ranging from harnessing quantum phenomena to the ability to collaborate in teams comprising Physicists, Chemists, Molecular Biologists, and Engineers.

 

[Slidey]

Might want to take a look at this, too:

http://nanobot.blogspot.com/2004/09/revolutions-happen-to-unprepared.html

 

[Vangineer]

um, if ur up for hardcore studies and love hands on stuff without needing to memorise 10000 key terms, then choose engineering mechatronics - U will need a love for maths. Definitely fiind a job. Grad pay starts at 30 000

Nanotech on the other hand has no maths, or not as much. U need the ability to memorise 2000 page textbooks. U will be organised! u might be on the dole, initially. U prolly need honours, masters, postgraduate studies as well...

 

[Slidey]

um, if ur up for hardcore studies and love hands on stuff without needing to memorise 10000 key terms, then choose engineering mechatronics - U will need a love for maths. Definitely fiind a job. Grad pay starts at 30 000

Nanotech on the other hand has no maths, or not as much. U need the ability to memorise 2000 page textbooks. U will be organised! u might be on the dole, initially. U prolly need honours, masters, postgraduate studies as well...

Eh. What. Rubbish.

Nanotechnology is a massive technology. What your degree involves will depend entirely on what type of nanotechnology you pursue.

Mine will be a mix between biochemistry and computational science. I know some who pursue the physical and computational side of it - you can't tell me that doesn't involve maths! As for hands on, well, again, depends what you focus on.

I do not think your descriptions of either course are at all accurate. A good mechatronics student shouldn't be graduating to $30K a year!

 

[thejosiekiller]

well which is it? does nano have good job prospects or no?

 

[withoutaface]

Do both.

 

[Slidey]

well which is it? does nano have good job prospects or no?

The answer is more obvious than the pain of having your testicles jammed in a vice: YES.

As Justin said: If you are interested in both, do both - just not at USYD or UNSW.
USyd's nanoscience major is a token effort merely and notably lacking - or was last I checked. Feel free to correct.
UNSW only offers a very good, but intense and pre-planned nanotech degree which cannot be combined with anything else.

You could do nano + something else at: Wollongong, UQ, UWS, Adelaide, others.

I should add: Nanotechnology is a very broad term. A degree in nanotechnology needn't necessarily mean it has 'nanotechnology' anywhere on the testamur. A materials scientist would have an easy time entering a nanotech job, especially if they happeed to do, say, an honours thesis on nanoparticles or nanofilaments or something.

Further, higher research isn't necessary, though as for any career, it'd be useful.

 

[thejosiekiller]

what do u know about the nano degree at uts?

 

[withoutaface]

I agree with the usyd sentiment, they just say "do some physics and some chem" and call it nanoscience.

 

[HellVeN]

Slide Rule, what is big money for you?

 

[Korn]

My mate wants to do Mechatronics, what the hell is it,

 

[Korn]

Eh. What. Rubbish.

Nanotechnology is a massive technology. What your degree involves will depend entirely on what type of nanotechnology you pursue.

Mine will be a mix between biochemistry and computational science. I know some who pursue the physical and computational side of it - you can't tell me that doesn't involve maths! As for hands on, well, again, depends what you focus on.

I do not think your descriptions of either course are at all accurate. A good mechatronics student shouldn't be graduating to $30K a year!

Dont engineerers graduate on about $40k, and Slide rule, u are forward planning to much , idont think the real world has actually caught up to using nanotechnology, but i could be wrong, and when it eventually takes off there will be quite a bit of money in it

 

[Lexicographer]

Nanotechnology is already in use. I have personally seen and handled the products.

 

[Slidey]

what do u know about the nano degree at uts?

Forgot about that. Yes, I believe UTS is heavily involved in nanotechnology and also offers a nanotechnology major. It would be probably the prime choice if you were looking to combine with a nano major but stay in Sydney.

Slide Rule, what is big money for you?

I do not kid when I say nanotechnology is a big thing. If you land a pretty typical job in Australia, you'll probably be around $50K on graduation. But then a nanotechnologist is likely to land better than just a typical job.

Of course considering the lack of nanotechnology education with American universities, going there to work would be a rather lucrative endeavour. I've heard figures greater than $60K Australian for those who've just graduated.

I don't pay much attention to that stuff though. If I wanted to secure lots of money and merely that, I'd go do something awful like actuarial or dentistry.

 

[Lexicographer]

Dentistry is great! And it's $60K US for nanotechnology graduates in the US, depending on the company and work of course. This figure was quoted from a Halliburton Petroleum Engineer (yes even oil companies want in).

 

[Slidey]

Dentistry is great!

I'll take your word for it.

And it's $60K US for nanotechnology graduates in the US, depending on the company and work of course. This figure was quoted from a Halliburton Petroleum Engineer (yes even oil companies want in).

That's the one! Damn... that would be about $75K AUD currently *drool*

Hmm. On another note, the Australian dollar is around 0.80 US cents. Quite high. Strange.

 

[Korn]

Dentistry is great! And it's $60K US for nanotechnology graduates in the US, depending on the company and work of course. This figure was quoted from a Halliburton Petroleum Engineer (yes even oil companies want in).

Why would a oil company want nanotech for?

 

[Slidey]

For a holistic view of why they'd want a nanotechnologist, read some of the articles I posted up there.

But quickly:
1) Oil is running out. Anything which can improve efficiency or such re remaining oil would be valuable.
2) Photovoltaics (solar cells) efficiencies have coem across some obstacles. Recently some people created PV cells based on nanotechnolgoy which were super-efficient and took in not just the visible spectrum but also the infrared spectrum. Imagining further photovoltaics benefits from nanotech isn't hard. Consider further that alternative fuel like photovoltaics is EXTREMELY important to petrol companies.
3) My speculation: Nanotechnology could be used to help liberate and store hydrogen (very reactive and volatile - found in water, oil, highly explosive) - the most abundent, clean and renewable fuel you can think of. For example: some researchers stored pure hydrogen within carbon nanotubes and even demonstrated methods of opening the nanotubes to release the hydrogen.

Et cetera.

 

[Korn]

For a holistic view of why they'd want a nanotechnologist, read some of the articles I posted up there.

But quickly:
1) Oil is running out. Anything which can improve efficiency or such re remaining oil would be valuable.
2) Photovoltaics (solar cells) efficiencies have coem across some obstacles. Recently some people created PV cells based on nanotechnolgoy which were super-efficient and took in not just the visible spectrum but also the infrared spectrum. Imagining further photovoltaics benefits from nanotech isn't hard. Consider further that alternative fuel like photovoltaics is EXTREMELY important to petrol companies.
3) My speculation: Nanotechnology could be used to help liberate and store hydrogen (very reactive and volatile - found in water, oil, highly explosive) - the most abundent, clean and renewable fuel you can think of. For example: some researchers stored pure hydrogen within carbon nanotubes and even demonstrated methods of opening the nanotubes to release the hydrogen.

Et cetera.

Oh, i always thought nanotechnology, was like that shit in Metal Gear solid