Nancy Healy

Education and Outreach of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) 2004–2015: History and Accomplishments of Undergraduate Programs

The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) was an NSF-funded facilities program (2004–2015) which had a large and diverse education and outreach (EO international Research Experience for Undergraduates, and international Research Experience for Graduate Students. The chapter provides details on program implementation as well as assessment results.

Using a university characterization facility to educate the public about microscopes: light microscopes to SEM

The National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN)1is an integrated partnership of 14 universities across the US funded by NSF to support nanoscale researchers. The NNIN education office is located at the Institute of Electronics and Nanotechnology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. At Georgia Tech we offer programs that integrate the facility and its resources to educate the public about nanotechnology. One event that has proved highly successful involves using microscopes in our characterization suite to educate a diverse audience about a variety of imaging instruments. As part of the annual Atlanta Science Festival (ATLSF)2 we provided an event entitled: “What’s all the Buzz about Nanotechnology?” which was open to the public and advertised through a variety of methods by the ATLSF. During the event, we provided hands-on demos, cleanroom tours, and activities with three of our microscopes in our recently opened Imaging and Characterization Facility: 1. Keyence VHX-600 Digital Microscope; 2. Hitachi SU823 FE-SEM; and 3. Hitachi TM 3000. During the two hour event we had approximately 150 visitors including many families with school-aged children. Visitors were invited to bring a sample for scanning with the TM-3000. This paper will discuss how to do such an event, lessons learned, and visitor survey results.

How a lesson on microscopes supports learning about light in elementary schools

One of the goals of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) is workforce development. If K-12 students are to be ready for the jobs of the 21st century they must be able to work with tools such as microscopes. This study was conducted to determine if the NNIN lesson Taking a Closer Look at Objects helped grades K-5 students connect what they were learning about light and its uses, to how microscopes work. The results of this study indicate that the lesson not only helped students improve their knowledge of how light is used but also helped them become more knowledgeable about how microscopes work. Students learning how light is used to form an image in an optical microscope, lays the foundation for them to learn how other microscopes such as the Scanning Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope are used to form images. This knowledge is important in supporting the continued research and development in the field of nanoscale science and engineering.