Students and faculty of Gannon University’s Chemistry Department are hosting NanoDays April 6-7 from 2-5 p.m. each day at the ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum.
NanoDays celebrations bring university researchers and students together with community educators to create learning experiences for both children and adults to explore the tiny world of atoms, molecules and nanoscale forces.
ExpERIEnce Children’s Museum is part of the nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering. The NanoDays event will be hosted here by students and faculty from Gannon’s Chemistry Department, who will combine safe and fun hands-on activities with information on current scientific research. This exciting NanoDays program will demonstrate the special and unexpected properties found at the nanoscale, examines tools used by nanoscientists, showcases nanomaterials with spectacular promise and invites discussion of technology and society.
NanoDays is organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), and takes place nationally every spring. This community-based event is the largest public outreach effort in nanoscale informal science education and involves science museums, research centers and universities across the United States.
More about Nano and NISE Network:
At the nanoscale—the scale of atoms and molecules—many common materials exhibit unusual properties. Our ability to manipulate matter at this size enables innovations that weren’t possible before. Nanotechnology is revolutionizing research and development in medicine, computing, new materials, food, energy, and other areas.
Nano will affect our economy, the environment, and our personal lives. Some scientists think that future nanotechnologies and materials could transform our lives as much as cars, the personal computer, or the Internet! But the costs, risks, and benefits of this new technology can be difficult to understand, both for experts and for the general public. The NISE Network helps museums, research institutions, and the public learn from each other about this emerging field so that together we can make informed decisions.
The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) is a national community of researchers and informal science educators dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement, and understanding of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. The NISE Network community in the United States is led by 12 organizations, and includes hundreds of museums and universities nationwide. NISE Net was launched in 2005 with funding from the National Science Foundation, and received a five-year renewal in 2010.
Through products like NanoDays, the NISE Network is actively building partnerships between science museums and research centers to increase their capacity to engage the public in learning about nanoscale science and engineering.
For more information about NISE Net or to download a digital NanoDays kit please visit:
www.nisenet.org/nanodays.
For more information about Nano please visit:
www.whatisnano.org.
