Find the Nano in Your Life: Using Interactive Museum Demonstrations to Engage a Public Audience in Nanotechnology Resear
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Find the Nano in Your Life: Using Interactive Museum Demonstrations to Engage a Public Audience in Nanotechnology Research and Policy Jayatri Das1, Allison B. Francies1,2, and Ronald D. Redwing3 1 The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA, 19103 2 The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA, 19102 3 Center for Nanoscale Science, Dept. of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802 ABSTRACT To many Americans, nanotechnology remains a science of the future; most are unaware that nanoscale science is already being incorporated into products they use in their everyday lives. Informal learning environments are an ideal venue in which to not only educate the public about current applications of nanotechnology but also engage them in a discussion of its impacts. Developed through a partnership between two NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers at Penn State and Cornell Universities and The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the “Small Wonders: Find the Nano in Your Life” program has been distributed to 20 science and children’s museums around the United States. This cart-based program includes interactive demonstrations of commercially available products that use nanoscale technology, including sunblock, nanosilver food containers, and nanoiron for environmental remediation. Macroscale models enable visitors to understand the underlying science, while real products allow visitors to explore the hope, hype, and reality of each. Here, we discuss the educational goals of the program, our approach to presenting questions of both science and policy, and methods and results of visitor evaluation. This third collaborative project continues to build on a model of program development and distribution that has been highly successful at reaching a broad audience. INTRODUCTION In the last decade, nanoscale science has grown rapidly from theoretical research and development to numerous technological applications. However, despite this increasing commercialization, the public remains largely uninformed about the unique nature of nanoscale phenomena and their potential impact on technological innovation. As nanoscale science is generally not included in formal primary or secondary educational curricula, nor does formal education reach the majority of adult Americans, informal learning opportunities are essential for introducing nanotechnology into the public awareness. Since 2001, The Franklin Institute Science Museum and the Center for Nanoscale Science at the Pennsylvania State University have been collaborating to develop interactive museum demonstrations about nanotechnology. This format has successfully integrated a diverse group of people into the development process: staff, volunteers, and visitors at the museums and undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty at the university. Two demonstration kits, Materials Matter: It’s a Nano-World After All and NanoBio: Zoom in on Life, have been previously distributed to over 30 museums in North Ameri
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