Press Release:  2008

Third annual Global Nanoscale Science & Engineering Education (GNSEE) Workshop in Washington DC
November 21, 2008, NCLT

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Third NCLT Workshop for Science Teachers at Fisk University
June 22, 2008, by Weijie Lu, Fisk University

Sixteen science teachers from Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) have attended the 3rd NCLT Nanoscience Workshop at Fisk University from June 9 to June 20, 2008. The workshop started with warm welcomes from Prof. Kofi Lomotey, the Fisk provost, and Prof. Eugene Collins, Director of Division of Natural Sciences, and Ms. Sarah Baker, the science coordinator of MNPS. The NCLT program has become a bridge for nanoscience educational collaborations and partnerships between Fisk, MNPS, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt Universities.

Participants of the NCLT PD workshop at Fisk University.	Teachers showing the C60 models.
Teachers working at laboratory.	Teachers exchanging their experiences.

This is the 3rd year that MNPS science teachers have participated in the NCLT workshops at Fisk. The activities of the two-week long workshop included: (1) lectures of the NCLT nano-modules, (2) hands-on experiments and activities, (3) nanoscience introduction and curriculum development for 7-12 grades, (4) nanoscience seminars, and (5) teacher's experience in implementation of nanoscience and plans for next year.

The NCLT program has impacted the school district with strong support from MNPS administrations. Six middle and high schools have implemented the NCLT nano-modules into various courses. During the workshop, the teachers have exchanged their experiences in implementation of the NCLT modules at their classrooms, and discussed the newly updated Tennessee science standards.

The NCLT workshop at Fisk University has been popular with MNPS science teachers and will continue in the summer of 2009. For more information on the program, contact the coordinator Prof. Weijie Lu at wlu@fisk.edu or visit http://www.nclt.us.

NCLT Expands Global Technological Exchange and Collaboration in NSEE to Taiwan
June 20, 2008, by Geok-Chooi Lou, NCLT

On June 16, 2008, a delegation of science educators and teachers, led by Prof. Fuh-Sheng Shieu, visited NCLT headquarters at Northwestern University to promote understanding and reaffirm collaboration in the learning and teaching of nanoscale science and engineering education. Prof. Shieu is the Director of Human Resource Development Program, National Science and Technology Program on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Ministry of Education, Taiwan.

A memorandum that endorsed the bilateral agreement on full usage of digitized NanoEd materials between NCLT and the Human Resource Development Program in Taiwan (HRDP) for non-profit and educational use was signed. This agreement expanded the scope of NCLT's global vision to Asia. The digital platform of HRDP is at http://www.nano.edu.tw.

Following introductions by NCLT Director, Prof. R.P.H. Chang and Prof. Shieu, Dr. Matthew Hsu, developer of Materials World Modules, gave a presentation on primary, junior high and high school curriculum from NCLT in the US. Prof. Tom Mason, a Co-principal investigator for NCLT and faculty of Materials Science and Engineering Department at Northwestern, explained how NCLT develops and implements center Higher Education programs. Melinda Wong, Research Associate for NCLT, showcased selected features of NanoEd Resource Portal. In exchange, Prof. Chia-Chi Sung introduced primary, junior high and high school curriculum, then Prof. Tzong-Ming Wu introduced higher education and e-resources in Taiwan. The session closed with a discussion on international collaboration between NCLT and Taiwan.

The Delegation completed this visit to Northwestern by taking a tour of Prof. Teri Odom's Nanoscale Patterning Lab. Prof. Odom is serving as a NCLT faculty in the Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering Departments at Northwestern University.

Nano-Day at Fisk University
April 29, 2008, by Melinda Wong, NCLT

Advances in nanotechnology are making a huge impact on society, but how does that affect a middle school student at H.G. Hill Middle School? You can ask one of the twenty-five 8th grade middle school students from Dr. Elvis Cherry's physical science class. This group of middle school students had the rare opportunity to visit Fisk University, a historically-rich African-American college, to learn more about nanoscience.

These young students were greeted by Fisk college students and began their "Nano-Day" with a welcome from Prof. Sheila Peters, Associate Provost and Prof. W.E. Collins, Division Director. Prof. Weijie Lu, Department of Physics at Fisk University, gave an introductory lecture on nanoscience and shared about the NCLT nanoscience activities currently being integrated throughout the local school districts. The "Nano-Day" continued with visits to three different instrumentation labs where students had hands-on opportunities to use a scanning electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer and molecular spectrometers. These middle school students were able to interact with the Fisk college students at lunch and throughout the tours on campus.

The "Nano-Day" at Fisk was a huge success in engaging the students and providing opportunities for them to learn more about nanoscience. Several students commented on how this was their first experience on a college campus. They were inspired by the high-tech science equipment they were able to use and learn more about. Fisk University through a partnership with NCLT continues to reach out in developing teacher training programs and nanoscience curriculum for the greater Nashville Public School District.

Workshop on Collaborative Development of Instructional Materials
April 4, 2008, by Clara Cahill, University of Michigan

On February 17-18, 2008, a group of seventeen NCLT members involved in the design and development of instructional materials, including technology-based learning tools for teacher professional development, teaching experiments, and outreach for 6-12 grade learners, met at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The purpose of the meeting was to develop principled guidelines and structures for the design and evaluation of instructional materials. In addition, the group aimed to initiate and support collaboration among individuals with diverse expertise but similar aims for improving materials for introducing 6-12 grade students to nanoscience.

During the two-day workshop, the participants evaluated and improved guidelines for the development of instructional materials and an evaluation format. The guidelines extend Construct-Centered Design to incorporate features of learning-goals driven design (Krajcik, McNeill, & Reiser, 2008). The guidelines will help ensure that NCLT instructional materials are designed based on what is known about the learning of science. The evaluation format incorporates features from Project 2061's Instructional Evaluation Criteria (American Association for the Advancement of Science) and from the design of Educative Curriculum Materials (Davis & Krajcik, 2005). The evaluation format will ensure that all NCLT materials are evaluated with the same criteria based on learning theory.

In addition, the group planned and developed ways to use and adapt the current NCLT cyber structure to best enable cross-group collaboration and idea sharing.

References:

• American Association for the Advancement of Science. Project 2061 Instructional Criteria. Retrieved 1/15/2008, from http://www.project2061.org/events/meetings/textbook/literacy/cdrom/CRITERIA/CRITERIA.htm
• Davis, E. A., & Krajcik, J. (2005). Designing educative curriculum materials to promote teacher learning Educational Researcher, 34(3), 3-14.
• Krajcik, J., McNeill, K., & Reiser, B. (2008). Learning-Goals-Driven Design Model: Developing Curriculum Materials that Align with National Standards and Incorporate Project-Based Pedagogy. Science Education, 92(1), 1-32.

NanoCamp for Middle School Students
March 12, 2008, by Clara Cahill, University of Michigan

The second Summer Nanoscience Institute (nanoCamp) for middle school students was held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor between July 9-20, 2007. Twenty-seven students in 6-8th grade participated in the camp, which focused on introducing students to nanoscience through the big ideas of Size and Scale, Size-Dependent Properties, and Tools and Instruments.

Through the camp, students were involved in a host of activities and field trips to help them learn about the emergent field of Nanoscience, including experimenting with Ferrofluids, visiting a Nanofabrication Facility Cleanroom, and modeling photolithography. Each student made a poster to investigate their own specific research question. Student's questions included "How is nanotechnology used to help treat cancer?", "How can nanotechnology help reduce the amounts of greenhouse gases?", and "How can nanotechnology help our food taste better?".

At the end of the camp, students presented their online posters, as well as wiki-based journals in which they had kept their research notes, to a group of educators, doctors, medical students, parents, and other students. Student learning gains are detailed on the poster available on the NanoEd resource portal: » view poster (PDF).

Briefing on Capitol Hill: Educating to Advance Nanotechnology
January 25, 2008, by Melinda Wong, NCLT

January 23, 2008: Joseph Krajcik, Professor of Science Education from the University of Michigan and co-principal investigator for NCLT participated as an expert panelist for a luncheon briefing on Capitol Hill. The briefing on "Educating to Advance Nanotechnology"was sponsored by the American Chemical Society of Science & the Congress Project and the Nano Business Alliance.

Introductory remarks were given by Representative Darlene Hooley (D-OR). Other expert panelists included: Greta Zenner, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center on Nanostructured Interfaces, University of Wisconsin-Madison, moderating; Robert Gregg, Executive Vice President, FEI Company; and Deb Newberry, Nanoscience Technology Program, Dakota County Technical College.

Nanotechnology enables the manipulation of materials at the level of single atoms, powering the development of new technologies, products and jobs. As nanotechnology spreads throughout industrial sectors, more companies will be needing individuals with the knowledge and skills to work in this realm. Consumers will also benefit from a greater understanding of nanotechnology as it increasingly permeates the products they use on a daily basis. This briefing explored the education and training needed to stay competitive in nanotechnology, as well as the policy implications for all levels of education.

The mission of NCLT is to develop the next generation of leaders in nanoscale science and engineering education (NSEE), with an emphasis on NSEE capacity building, providing a strong impact on national science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Through its mission and program initiatives, NCLT is designed to lower the barriers for rapid integration of nanoscience concepts into the classroom, resulting in the advancement of STEM education nationally.

For more information:
www.nclt.us
nclt@northwestern.edu