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The Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry kit is designed to stimulate interest, sense of relevance, and feelings of self-efficacy about chemistry among public audiences.

Vector illustrations of ball-and-stick models of ice structure on a black or white background.

"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...

The "Rocket Reactions" activity is an exciting way to learn about how materials interact, behave, and change. Participants make little baking soda and vinegar "rockets," launching plastic caps into the air, and experimenting to discover the best mix of fuel...

Welcome to your Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry toolkit! This section contains everything you will need to begin planning and promoting your Let's Do Chemistry event. The downloadable planning and promotion guide will walk you through your event. Also included...

"Molecules in Motion" explores how materials behave and change in a vacuum. Participants can experiment with putting various objects in a small vacuum chamber and then observing the objects as air is removed from the chamber.

"Exploring Materials—Oobleck" is a hands on activity in which visitors investigate the properties of a cornstarch and water mixture and test its ability to protect from impacts. Visitors learn that similar nanomaterials can be used in new personal protective equipment.

Included here are digital copies of promotional materials for your Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry toolkit. In addition to ready-to-print materials, you will find design files and images for customizing existing materials or creating your own! For customizable materials, be...

Review these materials before training, demonstrating, or facilitating the Let's Do Chemistry activities. See the activity and facilitator guides for additional suggestions and safety tips.

Illustration of a proton

"Sublimation Bubbles" how some solid materials can sublimate directly into their liquid form. Participants use water to observe dry ice sublimating into gaseous carbon dioxide, and then capture the gas in soapy bubbles.

"Exploring Products - Liquid Crystal Displays" is a hands-on activity in which visitors investigate temperature-sensitive liquid crystal sheets and liquid crystal displays from a calculator. They learn that liquid crystals change color as a result of nanoscale shifts in the...

These materials will help your facilitators run engaging, enjoyable chemistry activities at your event. Facilitator guides for individual activities are included on each activity's NISENet page, but this section includes additional resources for longer or more complex supplementary activities, including...

Illustration of a nucleus

Sample press photos for creating your own Explore Science: Let's Do Chemistry promotional materials.

"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...

This funny video will help you and your facilitators run activities in a way that encourages participation and positive attitudes towards learning about chemistry.

Nano Ice Cream is a public presentation demonstrating how liquid nitrogen cools a creamy mixture at such a rapid rate that it precipitates super fine grained (nano) ice cream.

These resources will help you and your facilitators run a fun, successful Let's Do Chemistry event and to encourage positive attitudes toward learning chemistry. Included is guide entitled, "Let’s Do Chemistry: A Framework and Strategies to Encourage Positive Attitudes Toward...

This animated lesson explores ways a special kind of metal called shape memory alloys is advancing technology--everything from robots and the Mars Rover to braces! From ed.ted.com.

Students learn about a class of materials called shape memory alloys. They will explore how these materials work and what applications these materials are used in. They will discuss phase transformations.

Resources for middle and high school science teachers including hands-on activities and labs, an online course for teacher development and videos.These resources provide the opportunity to enrich classrooms with cutting edge developments in the field of nanotechnology.

This is an optical microscope image of a liquid crystal (Cromlyn in water). The colors are created by molecular variations or changes in the crystal's thickness. Liquid crystals have properties of both liquids and solids: Although they can flow like...

In the semiconductor industry scientists take advantage of diffusion to "dope" or introduce atoms into a silicon wafer to change its conductive properties. The lesson simulates the diffusion of a gas phase substance (ammonia) into a solid substrate (gelatin) and...

Liquids that respond to a magnet? This is not science fiction, but science fact. In this segment, Dr. Ainissa Ramirez, shows the wonderful world of ferrofluids, which are iron particles floating in a liquid. When a magnet is nearby, the...