NanoDays Report: Other, Exploratorium

About the NanoDays event(s)

-"Leaf Fountain" on 3/30 & 4/6/08 Denise King demonstrated and answered questions while visitors interacted with the Lotus Effect exhibit and her interactive sculpture, "Leaf Fountain" on a drop in basis. Visitors explored nanotex fabric obtained from a local business.
-"NanoDays with Paul Doherty" on 4/5/08. Senior Scientist Paul Doherty demonstrated and answered questions while visitors interacted with 3 tables of activities: self-assembly, nano-effervescence and liquid magnets on an drop-in basis.
-"NanoPlay: Consent" on 4/5/08. We collaborated with the Magic Theater and UC Berkeley to experiment with a new format. Moderated by Veronica Garcia Luis, we began with a 15 minute reading by the Magic Theater*, followed by a 15 minute power point Nanoscience 101 presentation, followed by 10 minute Q & A with the scientist and the artistic staff of the play, and ended with a discussion.

* Pamela Winfrey, Senior Artist and Director of Performing Arts spearheaded an earlier collaboration with Mark Routhier of the Magic Theater in which 6 playwrights were invited to complete a residency at the Exploratorium where they created nano related plays. "Consent," by Eugenie Chan was one.

Other

The hands-on activities were very accessible and engaging. They made the topic much more concrete to the public. The banner from the NanoDays kit as well as the books were helpful in providing context and a link to the efforts of the NISE network. Designing them to be drop-in activities also made the activities more accessible.

The NanoPlay was an experiment in terms of interdepartmental, interdisciplinary and community collaboration not to mention format. It was a wonderful opportunity to experiment in this way. As a science museum, we specialize in making science accessible and engaging to the public, but I have rarely seen people respond to facts as they did during this program. Because of the quality of the play, its focus and the expert way it was performed, the play seemed to have a strong impact on the audience. It was a dramatized scenario in which a family is grappling with the issue of informed consent for a potentially risky treatment for an elderly parent involving nanoparticles. The play barely touched on nanoscale science, but it seemed to pique the audiences' curiousity and interest because of the universality of the situation portrayed. People asked many questions during the Q & A and during the discussion, several people made comments that linked the topic to their lives. Veronica Garcia Luis did a terrific job moderating the program. Dr. Nicola Ferralis, tried hard to make his powerpoint presentation as accessible as possible. During the discussion we selected questions that would link the topic of the play (informed consent) to the daily lives of our audience - the benefits of nanoscale science as well as the issue of informed consent in the usage of nano particles in commerical products and applications. Many took handouts that we made available (bibliographies of urls about the benefits and concerns around nanoscale science) and looked through our information table (books from the Nanodays kit).

I'd like the opportunity to present a similar format again to tweak the transitions and the discussion format. With more time and resources, we can focus more on outreach.

see above

Denise King, staff biologist and exhibit developer presented a playful sculpture "Leaf Fountain" with instructions on how to create it at home - it allowed the visitors to play and learn while giving them the opportunity to extend the experience at home - this also made the entire experience more accessible to the public.

Paul Doherty combined a demonstration with hands on activities - I liked the way he combined the 2 formats - so that it wasn't just a hands on activity. He actually explained much of the science behind the activities to a group and let the group ask questions, before they started interacting with the different activities. The combination of group and individual interaction was interesting.

NanoPlay:Consent - was an experiment in collaboration and format.

Thank you for all your help. The kit and the advice from members was invaluable.

Photos

Basic facts about the NanoDays event(s)

Dates

• NanoDays - March 30, 2008
• NanoDays - April 5, 2008
• NanoDays - April 6, 2008

Location: San Francisco, CA

Contact person: Donna Wong

Title: Public Programs Coordinator

Department: Public Programs

Professional Category: education outreach

Organization: Exploratorium

Type of organization: Museum

Paul Doherty, Senior Scientist
Veronica Garcia Luis, Visitor Research & Evaluation
Denise King, Staff Biologist and Exhibit Developer
Pamela Winfrey, Senior Artist & Director of Performing Arts
Donna Wong, Public Programs

Mark Routhier, Magic Theater, Nano Play
Eugenie Chan, Magic Theater, Playwright, Nano Play
Dr. Nicola Ferralis, UC Berkeley, Center for Integrated Nanomechanical Systems, Nano Play
Nanotex, Oakland, CA, Leaf Fountain

Dr. Nicola Ferralis, UC Berkeley, Center for Integrted Nanomechanical Systems (COINS)

Our Public Information Department distributes press releases to numerous media outlets, online events calendar (www.exploratorium.edu/events), members listserve, other listserves.

Audience

Type of public served

• General Public

Additional information about audience: No information available

General comments about audience: They are well educated, curious and range in age from 4 - 70+. The majority of the audience that participated in Nanodays events had little or no experience or knowledge of nanoscale science.