Programs

"Exploring Size - Memory Game" is a card game exploring the different size scales - macro, micro and nano - objects within these different scales and the way these objects are measured. Visitors compete to find matching pairs of cards.

"Exploring Products - Sunblock" is a hands-on activity comparing sunblock containing nanoparticles to ointment. Visitors learn how some sunblocks that rub in clear contain nanoparticles that block harmful rays from the sun.

"Exploring Products - Nano Sand" is a hands-on activity exploring how water behaves differently when it comes in contact with nano sand and regular sand. Visitors learn about the hydrophobic properties of nano sand.

"Exploring Materials - Thin Films" is a hands-on activity in which visitors create a colorful bookmark using a super thin layer of nail polish on water. They learn that a thin film creates iridescent, rainbow colors.

"Exploring Forces - Static Electricity" is a hands-on activity in which visitors discover that electrostatic forces cause smaller balls to be suspended in a tube while larger ones fall to the bottom. They learn that size can affect the way a material behaves.

“Macro, Micro and Nano Memory” is a memory game that teaches visitors about the macroscale, microscale and nanoscale, the objects within those scales and the way we measure these objects.

The "Sweet Self-Assembly" program focuses on the creation of macrocapsules using self-assembly techniques. Participants make edible macrocapsules using techniques similar to those being used in laboratories to make nanocapsules or “smart drugs”.

Sand, Plants and Pants is a hands-on activity exploring how the application of nano-sized particles or substances can change a bigger material’s properties. Visitors investigate the hydrophobic properties of plants, nano-fabric pants and magic sand.

This is a large group version of the Surface Area program. In this interactive stage presentation, audience members are measured in nanometers and demonstrate the effectiveness of "nano" silver in killing germs. Other highlights include a fireball that starts and ends the show. Visitors learn that nanoparticles behave differently, in part because they have a high surface area to volume ratio.

“The Future of Computing” is a public presentation that examines trends in computing technology and predicts what the future of computing might hold for us. Visitors are introduced to the idea of smaller, nanoscale transistors as the key to faster, more capable computers – and the barriers we face in continuing to shrink transistors to advance our computing technology (heat build-up, fabrication issues due to their small size, and quantum effects). Possible solutions include new materials for transistors like carbon nanotubes and graphene, or new paradigms for information processing like optical or quantum computing. Visitors are also asked to consider how smaller, faster, better computers in the future might impact their lives – in both positive and negative ways. It's a slideshow presentation (lecture with a few live demonstrations) designed for medium-to-large audiences of teens/adults. It could should be shortened/simplified for audiences with younger kids.