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Texas high school and middle school students and teachers come to UT to explore nanoworld
Texas students explore nanoworld at UT
The 5th Annual Summer Nanoscience Academy took place July 7–9 in the Center for Nano-Molecular Science and Technology building for a hands-on approach to learning about nanoscience.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Atomic & Molecular Imaging IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) program at The University of Texas at Austin, this free three-day program gave participants a taste of college life and a look into the nanoscience-related research being done on campus. This year’s invited guests attended lectures given by IGERT trainees (graduate students) and faculty members, participated in facility tours, and conducted hands-on laboratory work.
Using lasers, they measured the distance between grooves in audio CDs and built a semblance of an atomic force microscope from kits. They made solar cells in the chemistry lab using blackberry juice, participated in physics and chemistry circus activities, got to see the ACES Vislab with a colorful presentation on simulations, visited Dr. Kallie Willets’s lab, and attended an SEM demo.
IGERT trainee Charlotte Sanders led a three-hour teachers’ forum, giving our teacher participants useful information on how to teach nanoscience under the TEKS guidelines. Teachers were given resources and materials to take home to their classrooms and forged new outreach opportunities with the eleven state-wide schools that participated.
Thanks to Annie Harding and Becky Drake for putting together an outstanding program, as well as the IGERT trainees who participated in the planning and implementation to make this a stellar year!
For additional information, visit: http://igert.ph.utexas.edu/outreach.html