NanoDays 2012
Get ready for NanoDays 2012!
NanoDays, organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), takes place nationally from March 24 through April 1, 2012. During this week, hundreds of museums, science centers, and university research centers across the United States will be hosting events to help children and adults explore the tiny world of atoms, molecules, and nanoscale forces.
These events are part of NanoDays, a weeklong, nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Nanodays, a community-based event, is the largest public outreach effort in nanoscale informal science education. Over 300 science museums, research centers, and universities across the United States are involved, from Puerto Rico to Alaska.
NanoDays events bring scientists and researchers together with science educators to create new learning experiences for both children and adults. Through activities 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.
Most NanoDays events combine fun hands-on activities with presentations on current research. A range of exciting NanoDays programs demonstrate the special and unexpected properties found at the nanoscale, examine tools used by nanoscientists, showcase nano materials with spectacular promise, and invite discussion of technology and society.
Local communities experience many of these activities firsthand at museum and research institutions. Visitors can investigate super thin materials used in solar cell technology, forces stronger than gravity, and sand that doesn’t get wet—even under water! Other activities include using your nose as a nanodetector and measuring yourself in nanometers.
More information
The NISE Network is led by 14 organizations, and includes hundreds of museums and universities across the nation. Originally launched in 2005 with funding from the National Science Foundation, the NISE Network was awarded a second five-year $21 million grant in 2010. This second grant allows partners to continue to find ways to engage public audiences in this cutting edge science and technology into the next decade.
NISE Network leaders include:
- Association of Science-Technology Centers, Inc. in Washington, DC
- Children’s Museum of Houston in Houston, TX
- Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA
- Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA
- Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, CA
- Materials Research Society in Warrendale, PA
- Museum of Life + Science in Raleigh-Durham, NC
- Museum of Science in Boston, MA
- New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, OR
- Sciencenter in Ithaca, NY
- Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul, MN
- University of Wisconsin – Madison Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC) in Madison, WI
Find out if your community is planning to participate in nanoDays 2012 and how you can get in the action. For more information about NISE Net, NanoDays, and how to get involved, please visit:
http://www.nisenet.org/nanodays
To see a listing of 2011 NanoDays events that took place nationwide, please visit:
http://www.nisenet.org/nanodays/participants-2011
For an overview and information about nanoscience, engineering, and technology, please visit:
http://www.whatisnano.org
This project is based on work supported by the NSF under Award Numbers ESI-05322536 and 0940143. NanoDays™ is trademarked by North Carolina State University and used by NISE Net with permission.
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