I was fortunate enough to attend a NSTI conference on a whim and take the soft materials and self assembly course. The instructor presented such a compelling set of lectures that I've been hooked ever since (2006). I've earned a certificate in Nanoscale Material Science from the Stanford Center of Professional Development (SCPD). It's a wonderful program for working professionals allowing you to take distance learning courses from world class professors and be located anywhere in the world.

My aim is to build something nanotech but I go through the following cycle.



Despair occurs with the realization that nanotech devices are hard to make, hard to verify, and measure its performance. On the other hand, if you can make these devices, then there seems to be endless opportunity. For help getting out of the despair state, I recommend the following website for inspiration.

http://etl.stanford.edu/ with login or the public site
http://ecorner.stanford.edu/

The web casts by these entrepreneurs are inspirational, educational, and instructive. My favorites are ones by people that launched whole new industries. The lecture by Jensen Huang is one example of how a company helped launch the video game industry since graphics chips for PCs did not exist in a way that would allow modern games to be played. One can only wonder what changes nanotechnology will bring about.