NanoDays
Highland Road Park Observatory, Saturday, March 24th, 2012 (2:00 PM - 6:00 PM)
Louisiana Arts & Science Museum,
Saturday, March 31th, 2012 (10:00 PM - 3:00 PM)
Learn about nanoscale science and technology during a nationwide festival celebrating the science of ultra small matter. Two family friendly events will take place at the
Highland Road Park Observatory
on Saturday, March 24th, and at the
Louisiana Art & Science Museum on Saturday, March 31st, as part of
NanoDays,
a national event of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering.
When reduced to the width of a human hair or smaller, ordinary materials often take on extraordinary properties. For example, the iridescent colors in butterfly wings are not created by pigments but instead by tiny patterns on the wings. Similarly, tinted glass in old cathedrals was made by mixing different sizes of gold particles to create a wide variety of colors. But it is just now that we are beginning to understand these fascinating phenomena and their potential uses in every day life. Nanotechnology promises advanced information processing and storage, new medical treatments, and much more.
NanoDays will feature several hands-on activities for children of all ages. Visitors will be able to see how big they are compared to nanoscale objects, understand how a Scanning Probe Microscope allows scientists to explore the nanoworld, experience the effect of reducing the size of regular objects by trying to pour water out of a nano-cup, and learn about nanomaterials used in the manufacture of stain-free clothes. Children and adults will also have a chance to build models of nanoscale structures, play with liquid crystals, and make some fluids magically part in the middle by applying magnets to them.
In parallel with the demonstrations public talks will provide overviews of the nanoscale world and the tools that allow us to "see" it. On Saturday, March 24, at 4:00 p.m. in the Highland Road Park Observatory,
Dr. John DiTusa , Physics Department, LSU, will present "Nanomagnets as a path to new computers". On Saturday, March 31st,
at 2:00 p.m. in the LASM
Dr. Phillip Sprunger , Physics Department, LSU will present "Through the STM Looking-glass: Nanoland".
Dr. Juana Moreno will display a Scanning Tunneling Microscope that measures the surface of objects at the atomic level
several times during the day.
Faculty, students and staff from: the LSU Center for Computation
and Technology ; the Department of Physics & Astronomy ;
the Department of Chemistry;
the Society of Physics Students;
and the National Science Foundation-funded
Louisiana Alliance for Simulation-Guided Materials Applications (LA-SiGMA)
are volunteering their time to make these events a success.
NanoDays, organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network , takes place nationally March 24-April 1, 2012, at more than 200 science museums, research centers and universities across the country. For more information please visit
LSU Nanosciene & Nanotechnology website or contact Dr. Juana Moreno at moreno@lsu.edu. The event at the Observatory is free. Regular museum admission applies at the LASM. Come be part of NanoDays!
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology for Middle and High School Teachers
Coming soon
A continuing education workshop this summer will offer professional development for science teachers in middle and high schools. By 2015, the U.S. government estimates, there will be a need for 2 million nanotech workers. Yet, no nanoscience curriculum exists in the middle or high schools of Louisiana. Our Nanoworld: Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, will provide an overview of the new field of nanoscience for science teachers in all disciplines who want to introduce this field into their classes.
Teachers need not have any background in nanoscience. The workshop is designed for teachers with a wide range of experiences in different science fields. This is a great opportunity to learn about this new field of science that the U.S. Government has identified as the third-highest national funding priority.