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Nanotechnology Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Implement production processes and operate commercial-scale production equipment to produce, test, or modify materials, devices, or systems of unique molecular or macromolecular composition. Operate advanced microscopy equipment to manipulate nanoscale objects. Work under the supervision of nanoengineering staff.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Maintain work area according to cleanroom or other processing standards.
    • Measure or mix chemicals or compounds in accordance with detailed instructions or formulas.
    • Develop or modify wet chemical or industrial laboratory experimental techniques for nanoscale use.
    • Analyze the life cycle of nanomaterials or nano-enabled products to determine environmental impact.
    • Prepare capability data, training materials, or other documentation for transfer of processes to production.
    • Measure emission of nanodust or nanoparticles during nanocomposite or other nano-scale production processes, using systems such as aerosol detection systems.
    • Inspect or measure thin films of carbon nanotubes, polymers, or inorganic coatings, using a variety of techniques or analytical tools.
    • Collaborate with scientists or engineers to design or conduct experiments for the development of nanotechnology materials, components, devices, or systems.
    • Collect or compile nanotechnology research or engineering data.
    • Maintain accurate record or batch-record documentation of nanoproduction.
    • Prepare detailed verbal or written presentations for scientists, engineers, project managers, or upper management.
    • Monitor equipment during operation to ensure adherence to specifications for characteristics such as pressure, temperature, or flow.
    • Assist nanoscientists or engineers in writing process specifications or documentation.
    • Calibrate nanotechnology equipment, such as weighing, testing, or production equipment.
    • Monitor hazardous waste cleanup procedures to ensure proper application of nanocomposites or accomplishment of objectives.
    • Contribute written material or data for grant or patent applications.
    • Compare the performance or environmental impact of nanomaterials by nanoparticle size, shape, or organization.
    • Implement new or enhanced methods or processes for the processing, testing, or manufacture of nanotechnology materials or products.
    • Assemble components, using techniques such as interference fitting, solvent bonding, adhesive bonding, heat sealing, or ultrasonic welding.
    • Assist nanoscientists or engineers in processing or characterizing materials according to physical or chemical properties.
    • Perform functional tests of nano-enhanced assemblies, components, or systems, using equipment such as torque gauges or conductivity meters.
    • Produce images or measurements, using tools or techniques such as atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, particle size analysis, or zeta potential analysis.
    • Assist nanoscientists or engineers in processing or characterizing materials according to physical or chemical properties.
    • Process nanoparticles or nanostructures, using technologies such as ultraviolet radiation, microwave energy, or catalysis.
    • Repair nanotechnology processing or testing equipment or submit work orders for equipment repair.
    • Operate nanotechnology compounding, testing, processing, or production equipment in accordance with appropriate standard operating procedures, good manufacturing practices, hazardous material restrictions, or health and safety requirements.

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    Abilities

    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.

    Knowledge

    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    Education

    Education
    Associate's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    81530/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    39.2/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    1,000
    Yearly Projected Openings
    100

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Adaptability
    • Intellectual Curiosity
    • Cautiousness
    • Integrity
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability

    Tools

    • Binocular light compound microscopes
    • Chemical or gas sterilizers
    • Decontamination shower
    • Desktop computers
    • Dropping pipettes
    • Drying cabinets or ovens
    • Electron microscopes
    • Electronic counters
    • Eyewashers or eye wash stations
    • Facial shields
    • Fire extinguishers
    • Goggles
    • Impedance meters
    • Interferometers
    • Ion exchange equipment
    • Isolation glove boxes
    • Lab coats
    • Laboratory evaporators
    • Laboratory hotplates
    • Laboratory mechanical convection ovens
    • Laboratory safety furnaces
    • Light scattering equipment
    • Manometers
    • Multi gas monitors
    • Optical diffraction apparatus
    • Pressure indicators
    • Protective aprons
    • Protective gloves
    • Respiration air supplying self contained breathing apparatus or accessories
    • Respirators
    • Scanning electron microscopes
    • Scanning probe microscopes
    • Semiconductor process systems
    • Semiconductor testers
    • Signal generators
    • Single gas monitors
    • Spectrometers
    • Spectrophotometers
    • Surface testers
    • Temperature cycling chambers or thermal cyclers
    • Thermostatic baths
    • Thickness measuring devices
    • Transmission electron microscopes
    • Tumblers or polishers
    • Turbine pumps
    • Tweezers
    • Ultrasonic cleaning equipment
    • Ultrasonic welding machine
    • Vacuum gauges
    • Vacuum ovens
    • X ray diffraction equipment

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Word processing software