Search: 11 and up, Society, policy, and economics

Visitors "travel through time" with a host playing several characters: from the Future, 1900, 1945 and 1999. Visitors answer questions in a quiz about other people's predictions of future technology, and then are invited to make their own predictions.

This forum plays on very real concerns and fears of students: academic performance and taking standardized tests. The crux of this forum is: if there was a supplement or embedded nanotechnology available to the public that will enhance your cognitive abilities by making you smarter or give you instantaneous access to the internet, how would you or local community handle it? Is it cheating? By taking on roles that are somewhat familiar to them, they can put themselves into the shoes of decision makers whether they are parents, teachers, or principals.

The "Nano & Society" poster series provide an entry point for exploring the relationship between nanotechnology and society. They can be displayed on their own, used to spark an open-ended conversation, or paired with suggested activities.

Be a part of the buzz! See what’s new with nano. NanoBuzz is a web-based kiosk featuring exhibit-ready access to current nanoscale science, technology and engineering and emerging research in the news. Discuss issues, ask questions, take a poll, meet scientists, and post your own stories, images, questions and comments. NanoBuzz requires a web connection to automatically update the station with current nano news and to allow visitors to send emails from the kiosk.

This Flash game presents you, the President, with several national decisions about nanotechnology. Advisors and lobbyists give suggestions as you try to remain popular and get reelected.

NanoAventura (NanoAdventure) is a traveling interactive exhibition about nanoscience and nanotechnology. It was specially designed for children and teenagers (9-14). NanoAventura explores the nanoscopic world in a playful fashion through images, music and video simulations. NanoAventura is the first exhibition organized by the new Science Museum of the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the city of Campinas, state of São Paulo, Brazil. It was opened to the public in April 2005.

“Cleaning Our Water with Nanotechnology” is a public presentation about our drinking water and how we can make contaminated water safe to drink using a variety of technologies – including 3 new nanotechnologies for water purification. During the presentation, audiences consider the following questions: Which contaminants do we have in our water that makes it unsafe to drink? How do we typically purify our water – and what are the shortcomings/limitations of those technologies? How can new nanotechnologies purify our drinking water in new ways to help us in situations where large-scale water treatment isn’t appropriate? The presentation includes a variety of demonstrations to illustrate how these technologies work and some models to help visitors visualize what’s happening with these technologies at the nanoscale.

This creative video from Science Alberta, explores the possible careers in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Their educational site, wonderville.ca, includes additional education videos, games, activities, and comics.

The Woodrow Wilson Center's Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) created a 6 episode podcast series focused on exciting research and applications in nanotechnology. The podcasts are hosted by Washington DC science reporter Karen Schmidt and cover topics including, nanomedicine, energy, clean water, and synthetic biology. You can stream or download all 6 episodes from the PEN media website.

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State Universtiy Library contains scholarly books, articles, presentations, and reports compiled by or created by CNS-ASU. It is intended to be a comprehensive list of work under the Center’s sponsorship.