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Nano Bite: September 2013

 

Welcome to the September Nano Bite, the monthly e-newsletter for the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net).


What's New?

→ Mini-Grant Applications Now Open!
The NISE Net 2014 Mini-Grants application is now available. Planning to apply? For details about the program and application, go to: /blog/post/nise-network-2014-mini-grant-application-now-open-applications-due-november-1-2013. You can check out the list of past recipients here for more ideas. The due date for applications is November 1, 2013.

Online Brown-Bag Conversations
In the coming months, the NISE Network will continue to offer a series of online brown-bag conversations focused on helping NISE Network partners share their work and learn from others in the Network.
 
New in the Catalog
 
New O Wow! With Mr. O Videos Available
Two new videos from Mr. O are available on Liquid Armor and Sunshine:


Resources Available from the NISE Net's workshops on Bilingual Audiences and Universal Design of Educational Programs
In June and July, 2013, the NISE Net hosted workshops on engaging bilingual audiences and the Universal Design of educational programs.

  • Engaging Bilingual Audiences: NISE Net partners explored how to better engage Hispanic/Latino audiences with nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Resources from the workshop, including the agenda, info on sheltered instruction, presentation slides, Team-Based Inquiry (TBI) resources, and workshop handouts are available here.

  • Universal Design of Educational Programs: Participants had a hands-on opportunity to apply the NISE Net's Universal Design guidelines to a current NISE Net program and collect feedback from people with disabilities using the TBI approach. Resources from the workshop, including the powerpoint slides and handouts, are available here.


What Else?

Planning Ahead for the ASTC 2013 Annual Conference
The NISE Network will have many activities and professional development opportunities at the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) annual conference starting October 18, 2013. For details on specific events, go to: http://www.nisenet.org/community/events/astc/astc_2013_annual_conference.

→ 2013 MRS Fall Meeting
The 2013 MRS Fall Meeting will be in Boston, MA December 1-6, 2013. At MRS, the Education Symposium has become a valuable staple within the technical programming portion of the meetings. The NISE Net will be well-represented at this symposium and other events at MRS. For details, go to: /events/materials-research-society-mrs/2013-mrs-fall-meeting.

DIY Nano App Featured by Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media has featured the NISE Network's DIY Nano as their "iPhone App of the Week" this week! For the full review and more details on the app, go to: /blog/post/common-sense-media-features-diy-nano-their-iphone-app-week.


Partner Highlight

University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology
The University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC-CEIN), based at UCLA, does a great job of reaching broad audiences and fostering collaborations.  In order to reach broad audiences outside of academia, the UC-CEIN partners with Cal Poly Pomona and the California Science Center.  For the past two years, students and faculty from Cal Poly Pomona traveled to UCLA to learn about nanoscience with UC-CEIN students, research staff, and faculty; this yearly February event also functions as a professional development exchange with Cal Poly faculty.  Catherine Nameth, Education Coordinator, is in the formative stages of writing and publishing a paper detailing the process and results of preparing volunteers for public outreach.

For more on the UC-CEIN and their NISE Net partnerships, read the full blog post by Frank Kusiak, regional hub leader for the Southwest region.

 
Nano in the News
  • Visit to the World's Fair of 2014: As we approach the year 2014, it is an interesting exercise to look back on past predictions of the future. This article from the New York Times was written by Isaac Asimov in 1964, speculating on what a visit to the World's Fair of 2014 would be like. For an entertaining stage presentation that explores time travel and predictions of future technology, check out Flying Cars in the NISE Net catalog.
  • Printing Tiny Batteries: 3D printing can now be used to print lithium-ion microbatteries the size of a grain of sand. The microbatteries could supply electricity to tiny devices in the fields of medicine and communications. To create the microbatteries, researchers created an ink for the anode and the cathode with nanoparticles of different lithium metal oxide compounds.
  • Scientists Capture First Images of Molecules Before and After Reaction: Using an atomic force microscope, scientists have take the first atom-by-atom pictures, including images of the chemical bonds between atoms, clearly depicting how a molecule's structure changed during a reaction. Until now, scientists had only been able to infer this type of information from spectroscopic analysis.

Nano Throughout the Year
If you are planning activities for the Fall, we have some nano-themed suggestions for programs and activities for back-to-school events, National Chemistry Week (October 20-26), Earth Science Week (October 13-19), and Metric Day (October 10). Check out the complete list at: http://www.nisenet.org/seasons.

 

Nano Haiku

Science can solve the
Former follies science made:
Nano! Our savior!

This haiku was contributed by Katie Behrmann, of the Museum of Science, Boston.


Questions? Haikus? Contributions to the newsletter? Contact Eli Bossin at [email protected]