The following workshops will be offered for K-12 teachers throughout the year. Please see our schedule page for more information on upcoming workshops.
Elementary Biogels
Have you ever wondered what gives water-based lifeforms their solid structure? Than this workshop is for you! Through phenomenon-driven inquiry based methods, this set of explorations is designed to demonstrate step by step that biology depends on the organization of biomolecular scaffolds, called structural biopolymers, at the nanoscale. We will give you the pedagogical tools to work with students at any level between grades 3-8. This is also a fun introduction to food science.
Level: Elementary
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science, Engineering
Biopolymers
Have you ever wondered what gives water-based lifeforms their solid structure? Than this workshop is for you! Through phenomenon-driven inquiry based methods, this set of explorations is designed to demonstrate step by step that biology depends on the organization of biomolecular scaffolds, called structural biopolymers, at the nanoscale. We will give you the pedagogical tools to work with students at any level between grades 3-8. This is also a fun introduction to food science.
Level: Middle School
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science, Engineering
Biosensors
Sensing is a process of detecting changes in the environment through a pathway of signal, transduction, and response. There are a number of biological sensors that are essential in modern medicine. In this workshop, students will learn about the process of sensing by create a portable colorimetric glucose sensor using a commonly available assay and gels.
Level: Middle School and High School
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science, Engineering
Biotoxicity
How can we overcome the looming threat of antimicrobial resistance? Nanotechnology may be one of the keys. Colloidal silver is an antifungal agent used in bandages. Unlike silver ion solutions, colloidal silver is toxic to microbes without harming humans. The Biotoxicity experiment tests the ability of colloidal silver to inhibit the rate of yeast cellular respiration (carbon dioxide production) compared to other silver-containing compounds. This experiment highlights the fundamental concepts of respiration, data quantification, and the use of nanotechnology for real-world applications.
Level: Middle School and High School
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science
Building a Virus
How do complex virus structures like virus spontaneously form? In this combination of digital and physical explorations, students will learn through hands on experimenting and simulations the step by step chemistry that allows for complex nanoscale structural generation, the same process that goes into viral self-assembly.
Level: Middle School and High School
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science, Computer Science
Liquid Crystals
What does the “LCD” in an LCD TV actually mean? How does it work? In this workshop, students will be led step-by-step to learn about the different states of matter, the unique properties of liquid crystals and their applications, and make their own “switchable glass” windows. Ultimately, you will be given the pedagogical tools to teach students how liquid crystals are a class of materials with a state of matter that has properties between those of liquids and solid crystals.
Level: Elementary School
Concept areas: Physics, Engineering, Integrative Science, STEAM
Magnetic Liquids (Ferrofluids)
Originally developed by NASA as a means of moving rocket fuel in a weightless environment, ferrofluids are magnetic liquids used in a wide variety of engineering and consumer applications. In this experiment, students prepare ferrofluids that contain iron oxide nanoparticles approximately 10 nanometers in diameter, which spontaneously magnetizes in the presence of a magnetic field – through solution chemistry materials.
Level: Middle School and High School
Concept areas: Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, STEAM
Measurement at the Nanoscale
How can you measure that which is unobservable to the naked eye? In our Measurements at the Nanoscale experiment, students use the effects of molecules interacting with each other to indirectly measure nanoscale features and have a better understanding of how large (or small) nano really is.
Level: Middle School and High school (October 2022); Elementary and Middle School (March 2023)
Concept areas: Chemistry, Physics, Integrative Science, Engineering
The Lotus Effect / Nanoscale Control of Wetting
The superhydrophobic surfaces experiment blends elements from chemistry, biology, and physics to vividly demonstrate how the incorporation of nanoscale texture at a material’s surface can lead to dramatic changes in certain physical properties such as wettability. Students will learn basic concepts in surface chemistry and discuss emerging industrial applications for materials with these unique characteristics.
Level: Middle School and High school
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science, Engineering
Nanoscale Patterning (Photolithography)
In this experiment, students use light to transfer a pattern onto a surface, ultimately resulting in a network of very small metal wires on a plastic board. Students can then measure resistance as a function of wire length and wire diameter to explore both the positive and negative resistive aspects of making thing small, but close together. This top-down approach to nanotechnology is commonly used in manufacturing circuit boards for computers and other electronics, and students will learn the very simple chemistry and physics at the core of photolithography.
Level: Middle School and High School
Concept areas: Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, STEAM
Color from Nanoscale Gold (Plasmonics)
Clean water and water reuse is among the greatest challenges of modern times. In this experiment, affinity and size exclusion methods of filtration are visually explored using various commercial and laboratory nanomaterial-based methods.
Level: Middle School and High School
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science, Engineering
Supercapacitators (Fast Batteries)
Energy storage is necessary for many important applications such as portable electronics (such as cell phones and wearables), electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage. In this experiment, students will be making and using supercapacitors, which utilize the high surface area of nanostructured carbon to store charge.
Level: Middle School and High school
Concept areas: Chemistry, Physics, Engineering
Water Purification
Clean water and water reuse is among the greatest challenges of modern times. In this experiment, affinity and size exclusion methods of filtration are visually explored using various commercial and laboratory nanomaterial-based methods.
Level: Middle School and High school
Concept areas: Chemistry, Biology, Integrative Science, Engineering
