(372h) Development of "Smart Materials" Master's Degree Program Module for Chemical Engineers

Global trends in the development of science and industry, include the concept of "smart materials" as an integral part of the global knowledge-based industry in the horizon of the next 15-20 years.
Thisproject is aimed at developing a group of training courses "Smart Materials" for the Master's program "Physicochemical Foundations of Innovative Technologies for Supermolecular Systems", which is currently taught Kazan National Research Technological University, Russia.
The main idea of this educational initiative - courses, developed in English, will become a catalyst for the internationalization of the Master's program and its further development as a complete set of components focused on international students.
The target audience of the training course is represented by Russian and foreign students of engineering specialties, specializing in the field of chemical engineering, materials science, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and etc.
The educational product developed during the project implementation will also be used as an independent training module for the training of foreign students, for the implementation of short-term mobility programs such as summer schools, and for implementing network educational programs with universities in Europe and South-East Asia.

The volume of the smart materials market will reach 70 billion US dollars by 2020 (according to Zion Market Research).
Accordingly, the next 15-20 years, we should expect a steady increase in demand for engineering professionals who have competencies in the field of nanotechnology, materials science, smart materials and their practical application in promising technology industries.
Within the framework of this project, three training courses in the field of smart materials "smart materials" were developed.
The titles of the courses:
1. Introduction to smart materials: biosystems and nanosystems
2. Technology of smart materials
3. Research methods for smart materials
Each course is a semester course and offers three credits.

For the course "Introduction to Smart Materials: biosystems and nanosystems," a lecture block was developed in English. The unit will include video and audio components read by the native speaker from among the international partners of Kazan National Research Technological University.
The course "Technology of Smart Materials" is also represented by a lecture block in English. It is followed by a practical unit - a set of five laboratory experimental practicums. Laboratory practicums are based on five advanced experimental techniques: photon correlation spectroscopy (dynamic light scattering), contact angle measurement, spectrofluorimetry, IR spectroscopy and spin-coaching.
The course "Research Methods for Smart Materials" is to be implemented in partnership with the nanocenter of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, providing the access to the most advanced equipment for studying functional nanomaterials.
The lecture materials cover the the following topics:
1. Analytical spectroscopy;
2. Biochemistry and biomedicine;
3. Introduction to Materials Science;
4. Introduction to modeling;
5. Introduction to nanotechnology;
6. Introduction to nanotechnology and innovative materials;
7. Information technology;
8. Research methods for studying nanosystems;
9. Materials for molecular electronics and biomedicine;
10. Materials and composites;
11. Advanced nanotechnology;
12. Project planning and literature reviews;
13. Microfluidics;
14. Production of micro and nanomaterials, "pure" technological processes;
15. Spectroscopic analysis;
16. Functional materials;
17. Characterization of materials;
18. Chemistry of materials;

Graduates of the master's program will obtain the following academic, scientific and intercultural competences:
- readiness for intensive professional communication;
- readiness for project work in international teams;
- expertise in developing new materials and technologies for innovative materials;
- proper selection of modern materials and technologies in the field of smart materials;
- ability to search, process and systematize scientific and technical information in the field of nanotechnology;
- the ability to independently learn new methods of research, to change the scientific and scientific and production profile of their professional activities;
- the ability to predict the properties and behavior of polymers and nanosystems in the processes of self-organization at the molecular and supramolecular levels;
- the ability to comprehensively analyze the existing and prospective market of smart materials.

Development and implementation of his module will be followed bycreating a new Master's degree program.
A new (for Russia) methodological element proposed within the framework of this project is implementation of capstone projects. Project teams will incklude students as well as Russian and foreign (remote consulting) scientists and industry representatives to work on practical projects in the field of innovative materials science, which are of practical interest to chemical engineering companies.

The evaluation of the project's success will be based on the following criteria:

- the number of Russian students enrolled to this Master's program after the introduction of the courses "Smart Materials";
- the number of internationsl students enrolled to this Master's program after the introduction of the courses "Smart Materials";
- the number of new teaching materials developed for the implementation of this module ;
- the amount of funds raised from the Master's Program;
- the intensity of academic mobility projects with international partners;
- English language proficiency demonstrated by Russian students attending "Smart Materials" program courses;
- attention to program graduates demonstrated by Russian and international employers.

The project was supported by the grant provided by Potanin Foundation for the development of Master's degree programs.