Overview
Nanotechnology and nanoscience are emerging, revolutionary areas of science that will lead to exciting developments in health, medicine, the environment, information technology and engineering (among other industries). In this unit, you will become familiar with existing uses of nanotechnology along with future opportunities in the nanoscience domain. Medical and environmental applications and the development of 'emerging technologies' will be discussed and the technical, environmental and social impacts of these technological advances explored.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
CHEM19085 Environmental Chemistry OR CHEM12077 Food Science and Analysis OR CHEM12079 Inorganic Chemistry OR CHEM12080 Organic Chemistry
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Reflective practice
The Unit needs more coverage on recent advances in nanotechnology
Include more content on nanomaterials applied towards environmental remediation, vaccines and disease detection, which are current global concerns.
Feedback from Reflective practice
Residential school activities need to be expanded
The residential school activities need to be redesigned to have a wider variety of short, workable practicals.
Feedback from Reflective practice
The atomic force microscope (AFM) needs an operator
A tech staff member or RHD student be trained to operate the atomic force microscope (AFM) enabling them to assist with these practicals during residential school.
- Discuss the basic principles of nanotechnology and nanoscience
- Evaluate and synthesise information drawn from primary literature in the field of nanotechnology
- Discuss actual and potential impacts of nanotechnology on society, health and the environment
- Design possible solutions to significant societal problems in health, engineering, the environment and medicine using the principles of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
Not applicable
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | |||||||||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||||||
| 3 - Take Home Exam - 30% | |||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Endnote
- MS Office
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Vancouver
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.johnson2@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 10 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Nanotechnology: An Introduction
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 17 Mar 2025Module/Topic
History of the Nanotechnology Discipline
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 24 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Types of Nanoparticles
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 31 Mar 2025Module/Topic
Nanotechnology Applications
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 5
Begin Date: 07 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 14 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 21 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Nanotechnology and Public Health
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 28 Apr 2025Module/Topic
Nanotechnology and COVID-19
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 8
Begin Date: 05 May 2025Module/Topic
Nanocomposite-based Sensors for Environmental Applications
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 12 May 2025Module/Topic
Green Nanomaterials
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential School
Week 10
Begin Date: 19 May 2025Module/Topic
Nanoparticles and Ecotoxicological Risks
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 11
Begin Date: 26 May 2025Module/Topic
Nanotechnology and Health
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 02 Jun 2025Module/Topic
Revision
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 09 Jun 2025Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 16 Jun 2025Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
For this Assessment Task, you will write a scientific review paper on a topic that will be allocated to you. The review must be be word-processed, with appropriate layout and use of headings/sub-headings. Tables and figures to illustrate specific aspects may be included with titles and acknowledgement where necessary. In addition, the word count should not exceed 2000 (excluding references).
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available on your Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI in this unit.
Week 6 Friday (25 Apr 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
To be submitted via Moodle
Week 9 Friday (16 May 2025)
Returned with feedback via Moodle
Introduction and Background: 25%
Literature and its analysis: 40%
Organisation: 25%
Overall Presentation: 10%
- Discuss the basic principles of nanotechnology and nanoscience
- Evaluate and synthesise information drawn from primary literature in the field of nanotechnology
- Discuss actual and potential impacts of nanotechnology on society, health and the environment
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
2 Practical and Written Assessment
The Assessment Task relates to the compulsory Residential School. At the Residential School, you may work in pairs or groups on experiments. For the Assessment Task, you will write up an individual scientific report of the experiments and activities undertaken during the Residential School.
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available on your Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI in this unit.
Week 11 Wednesday (28 May 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
To be submitted via Moodle
Review/Exam Week Friday (13 June 2025)
Returned with feedback via Moodle
Introduction and Background: 40%
Very convincing justifications for the merits of the experiments.
Literature: 20%
Scientific literature, externally cited in the correct format to justify claims and explanations
Literature cited is recent (< 5 years), credible, relevant
Organisation: 30%
Well-positioned to reinforce the argument(s)
Correctly labelled figures and tables
Overall Presentation: 10%
No typos, cohesive and very easy to follow arguments
Word limit - 2000
- Evaluate and synthesise information drawn from primary literature in the field of nanotechnology
- Discuss actual and potential impacts of nanotechnology on society, health and the environment
- Design possible solutions to significant societal problems in health, engineering, the environment and medicine using the principles of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Take Home Exam
The Take Home Exam will contain a mix of short-answer and longer, descriptive-answer questions. It will cover content from the teaching term, including the Residential School. The mark allocations per question will be provided on the Assessment.
The Take Home Exam will be available for 24 hours.
Duration of Exam: 2 hours
You must open the Take Home Exam within the 24 hour period and submit it. Once the link has been opened, you will have 2 hours to upload your answers to the questions in the Take Home Exam. Please ensure that you have given yourself 2 hours to attempt all the questions and upload your answers.
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available on your Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of generative AI in this unit.
Week 12 Friday (6 June 2025) 11:00 am AEST
The Take Home Exam will open on Thursday 5 June at 11:00am AEST and close 24 hours later.
Exam Week Friday (20 June 2025)
Marked scripts will be returned via Moodle at Certification of Grades.
Marks will be allocated to and follow each question in the Exam. You will be marked in completeness and correctness of answers.
- Discuss the basic principles of nanotechnology and nanoscience
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
