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.