Materials, tools, and applications

"Treating Tumors with Gold" presents promising research being conducted at Rice University in Texas. Through videos and demonstrations, the program considers the following questions: What is a tumor and what causes it to spread? What is a gold nanoshell and how does it kill tumor cells? What does the future hold for targeted cancer therapies?

"Shrinking Robots!" explores the possibility of nanobots. Visitors learn what a robot is and how small real robots are today. They also learn that nanobots don't exist (yet) and consider some of the challenges in creating nano-sized robots. In the second part of the program, visitors design and build a robot toy from recycled and craft materials.

“Nanoparticle Stained Glass” is a cart demonstration that introduces the connection between medieval stained glass artisans and nanotechnology. Visitors learn that the red and yellow colors in stained glass windows come from nanoparticles of gold and silver embedded in the glass. During the program, visitors listen to a short presentation, and then have the opportunity to participate in two hands-on activities: making a collaborative stained glass window with pre-made nanoparticle solutions containing silver or gold and making a take-away card that contains a small piece of nanoparticle stained “glass”.

Linked product - AVAILABLE FOR $34.99 AT: www.talkingnano.net (FOR PURCHASE ORDERS: call 617.589.4484 or email us at info@talkingnano.net). This 6-video DVD set features Don Eigler, George Whitesides, David Rejeski, Eric Mazur, Tim Miller, and, as a bonus, The Amazing Nano Brothers Juggling Show. It provides a basic Nano 101 introduction to nanotechnology, potential applications, implications, and impacts. Designed for classroom, informal, and professional development use, the videos are tightly edited with close-ups and illustrations. Each video is individually chaptered and menued, allowing quick access to particular content areas.

“Forms of Carbon” is a cart demo that demonstrates how the nanoscale arrangement of atoms dramatically impacts a material’s macroscale behavior. Visitors learn about the structure and properties of four different forms of carbon. During the program, visitors interact with models of four different forms of carbon. Visitors also observe the conductivity of graphite (using a simple circuit and an everyday pencil) and the hardness of diamond (using a diamond scribe to cut glass).

"Snowflakes" is a public presentation that introduces nanoscale science through the subject of snowflakes. Visitors learn that the complex structure of snowflakes results from the nanoscale arrangement of water molecules in an ice crystal, and that snowflakes are examples of self-assembled systems studied by nanoscientists. During the program, visitors watch videos of snowflakes growing and observe real ice crystals growing in a chilled chamber.

Tiny Particles, Big Trouble explains why some nanoscale science and technology is done in the controlled environment of a clean room, what clean rooms are like, and how scientists help keep the clean room clean. During the program, visitors sniff scents that are too small to see, try on the head-to-toe suits that scientists wear in clean rooms, and manipulate pretend silicon wafers with tweezers.

"Exploring Materials - Ferrofluid" is a hands-on activity demonstrating that a material can act differently when it's nanometer-sized. Visitors investigate the properties of ferrofluid and magnetic black sand, learning that the surprising difference in the behavior of these two materials is due to size.

"Exploring Materials - Liquid Crystals" is a hands on activity demonstrating that the way a material behaves on the macroscale is affected by its structure on the nanoscale. Visitors investigate the properties of a heat sensitive liquid crystal and make their own liquid crystal sensor to take home.

In the Nanomedicine exhibition, four individual exhibit components highlight nanotechnology’s vast potential for diagnosing and treating disease, as well as its ability to help damaged tissue regrow. Test for thousands of diseases with a single nano-based chip, target tumor cells for treatment with nanoparticles in a tabletop game, and regrow severed nerve endings on nanoscale scaffolding. These exhibits were developed by the NISE Network; copies are located at the Museum of Science in Boston, OMSI in Oregon, and the Arkansas Discovery Network.