Zoom in on Life: Using Biological Processes to Teach the Public about Nanotechnology
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Zoom in on Life: Using Biological Processes to Teach the Public about Nanotechnology Maya Wade1, Beth Tinker1, Andrew Greenberg2, 3, 4, and Ronald D. Redwing2, 5 1. The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA. 2. Center of Nanoscale Science, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA. 3. Chemistry, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA. 4. Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA. 5. Physics, Penn State University, University Park, PA, USA. ABSTRACT Through a partnership between the NSF-funded Material Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), Center for Nanoscale Science, at Penn State University and Philadelphia's science museum The Franklin Institute the "Nano-Bio: Zoom in on Life!" program has been produced and distributed to 20 science and children museums in the United States and one science museum in Canada. Distributed shows include the materials needed to perform the demonstration, supplies for a year and additional information including educational materials and a training video. This cart based program includes interactive demonstrations that highlight processes in the human body that occur at the nanoscale and how scientists are exploring natural processes to develop new nanotechnology and nanomaterials. This show is the second in a series of collaborations to create programs for the informal science education world. A development team including Penn State University faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and Franklin Institute staff worked over two years to develop the show. Instrumental in the development were graduate students who were part of a jointly run Penn State-Franklin Institute NSF-funded Internships in Public Science Education (IPSE) program. These science education graduate students helped create, test, and enhance the demonstrations for the Zoom in on Life program. INTRODUCTION “In order to promote the involvement of the research community in public educational activities,”1 the National Science Foundation created the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Internship in Public Science Education program in May of 2002. This program promotes partnerships between researchers at Mathematical and Physical Sciences research facilities and professionals in public science education at museums and science centers with the goal of bringing the results of current research to the general public. Research scientists who would ordinarily lack the opportunity to reach the public in the numbers reached by science centers and museums welcome this kind of exposure. Science centers often lack the resources to create a program on cutting edge research within a timeframe that keeps it current. The partnership makes both of these things possible. The Penn State internship pairs graduate students (many who are pre-service K-12 teachers) directly with research scientists at Penn State and museum professionals at The Franklin Institute to assist with program development, testing, and evaluation. With funding from the NSF, the Penn State MRSEC and th
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