Volunteer experts are a key ingredient to many successful public engagement efforts. Volunteer networks focused on astronomy and space include: 1) Solar System Ambassadors Program, 2) Night Sky Network of astronomy clubs, and 3) AAS Astronomy Ambassadors 1) The Solar...
Learn how your organization can be part of a larger movement to change public discourse about climate change to be positive, productive, and solutions-focused! Meet members of the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation ( NNOCCI ), which...
This lesson introduces scale by demonstrating scales as factors of ten. This facilitates the introduction and reinforcement of the metric scale and paves the way to the discussion of lengths that are smaller than what can be seen with the...
Spiderman isn't the only person who can walk on walls and make webs stronger than steel. Scientists are making this possible in the lab. In this Science Xplained, Dr. Ainissa Ramirez describes the science behind making webs and walking on...
Red blood cells carry a protein called hemoglobin which has a molecular structure adapted to transport oxygen to body tissues. This scanning electron micrograph shows the cells' characteristic donut-like shapes. • SIZE: The typical diameter of a human red blood...
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Yale, Dr. Ainissa Ramirez, discusses how a layer of carbon that is one atom thick, called graphene, will revolutionize our lives.
Students will examine the order of size of objects from the nanoscale to macroscale to visualize exponents and decimals, make size comparisons of objects, and develop an understanding of how small a nanometer is in comparison to common objects. This...
By using an EasyBake® oven and a spinning apparatus made of simple, easy-to-find components, middle school students can learn basic science concepts and develop their understanding of wafer fabrication which is an important part of nanotechnology processes and methods.
This is a scanning electron micrograph of a nanoscale interface for spin injection in a nanomechanical torsion oscillator used for measuring tiny amounts of torque. This interface is built on a silicon-based nanomechanical torsion oscillator, a device used to measure...
A Collection of materials science resources, activities and demonstrations developed in conjunction with NOVA MAKING STUFF PBS series. These outreach materials will enable educators and scientists to engage audiences in formal and informal settings and encourage appreciation and better understanding...
This lesson introduces students to social and ethical issues related to nanotechnology. The lesson demonstrates possible social issues through case studeies using popular films, books, and news stories. The lesson is intented to stimulate discussion about social and ethical issues...
The Museum Alliance is a community of practice comprising informal science educators at museums, science centers, planetariums, NASA Visitor Centers, Challenger Learning Centers, observatories, zoos, aquariums, parks, and nature centers who wish to share NASA information with their visitors. It...
The purpose of this lesson is to encourage students to think about how using tools helps them gather information about the world around them. This is especially important at the nanoscale, where the objects are too small to be seen...
Educational materials and presentations for STEM teachers and their students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Nanotechnology Summer Institute for STEM Teachers. Includes Powerpoint presentations, activity descriptions, and links to other resources.
In this optical microscope image, light can be seen passing though a silica nanowire on a silica aerogel surface. New technologies have made it possible to draw glass in long, ultra-smooth wires with uniform diameters in the nanometer range. Because...
There are two activities in this lesson, the Fly Prison and the Water Maze. The fly Prison is a hands-on modeling activity designed to introduce students to the area of nanotechnology and give them a basic understanding of how researchers...
By: M. Gail Jones, Michael R. Falvo, Amy R. Taylor, and Bethany P. Broadwell NSTA Press Book, 2007 ISBN 978-1-93353-105-2 Member Price: $20.76, Nonmember Price: $25.95 Grade Level: Middle School, High School
The corral is an artificial structure created from 48 iron atoms (the sharp peaks) on a copper surface. The wave patterns in this scanning tunneling microscope image are formed by copper electrons confined by the iron atoms. Don Eigler and...
Lumps of gold moulded into rings, coins and ingots have been highly prized for millennia. But recently, scientists have realised that tiny pieces of this precious metal – far too small to be seen by the naked eye - could...
Troy Dassler's 12 minute TEDx presentation about how he came to introduce nanoscience into his elementary school. Based on his experiences at Aldo Leopold Elementary School working with scientists at the University of Wisconsin MRSEC.
This lab is designed to have students develop and implement their own experiment to test the antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles. Students will be required to document and communicate the entire process via their scientific notebook. Students will also consider...
Step into the world of nanotechnology with Tiny Tech. Tiny Tech is a series of short radio episodes focusing on the science and engineering of the very small. Each episode presents an aspect of nanoscale objects, ranging from the effects...