The mission of the NISE Network is to build the capacity of informal science education institutions and research organizations to work together to raise public awareness, understanding, and engagement with nanoscale science, engineering, and technology.

This website's purpose is to facilitate communication and collaboration, to share professional resources and to provide researchers and educators with information and activities about nano, Members include research institutions, museums and informal science organizations, and individuals who are interested in communicating with the public about nanoscale research. For more information please see the About section [1].

There are several ways to get involved. The easiest is becoming a registered member on this website by following the steps in FAQ #3.

Educational Partners: Strong regional and national partnerships are the foundation of the NISE Network. We are developing an infrastructure for sharing resources and best practices among the expanding NISE Net community of people participating in nano informal science education activities.

The NISE Network community within the United States is organized around eight Regional Hubs [2] based on geographic proximity. Regional hubs facilitate partner interaction in the Network, help museum educators connect with researchers and each other, host regional workshops, and provide support to institutions in their region. Regional hub contacts and a map can be found on our Network Community page [2].

Research Partners: The NISE Network also works directly with nanoscale and materials science research centers to help them establish effective education outreach partnerships with science museums through the Research Center Informal Science Education (RISE) [3] partnership initiative. Our RISE partnerships group provides professional development, consulting, and resources for partnerships, and also develops trainings in communication and public engagement for early career researchers.

Also, our Inclusive Audiences [4] team fosters and encourages the NISE Network's efforts to reach a diverse audience with regard to geography, dis/ability, gender, race/ethnicity, language, and income.

Becoming a registered member on the website allows you to download NanoDays kit files from the Catalog, comment on products in the Catalog, and view contact information in the Member Directory.

1. Click the signup/login [5] link (at the top right of the website)
2. Click the Create New Account tab
3. Enter your email address and a password
4. Check your email and verify your membership by clicking the link in the message

Once you've registered, please take a minute to complete your member profile in order to be included in our Member Directory [6].

1. Click the signup/login [5] link (at the top right of the website) and log in [5]
2. Click the my profile [7] link under your name in the right sidebar
3. Click on the Edit tab above your photo
4. Fill in your name, title and other details to share with the network

1. Click the signup/login [5] link (at the top right of the website)
2. Click the Request new password tab
3. Enter your email address
4. A password will be sent to you via email; to change your password please see below

1. If you're not already logged in, click the signup/login [5] link (at the top right of the website)
2. Click the my profile [7] link under your name in the right sidebar
3. Click on the Edit tab above your profile picture.
4. You can now change your password, email address, or other personal information

Updating your profile keeps your contact and other information up to date in our directory. It also helps other members find your info while searching the directory with our different search options.  If you haven't updated your profile in a while, please take a minute to make sure all your information is current.

Any technical issues or general comments regarding the website can be sent to webmaster@nisenet.org

We offer a Catalog of educational products to raise public awareness, understanding, and engagement with nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Catalog items have been contributed by multiple NISE Network subawardee institutions and museums, allowing us to offer a wide range of programs, activities, forums, training materials, exhibits, and media that can be mixed and matched by users to meet many different educational needs. Catalog digital resources are free to download, and though NISE Net does not "sell" physical resources for activities, NISE Net activities have been developed using physical resources that are accessable and affordable for all educators. Check out all our educational products in the Catalog [8].

You can find materials by using the Search box in the top right hand corner of the website or from the search box on the Catalog [8] main page. Also, for more refined results, you can browse the Catalog by Audience, Topic, Format, Newest Contributions, Most Viewed, Recently and Most Commented, as well as view the Tag Cloud. If you are browsing through resources, the Catalog is navigated by using the headings in the left hand column such as Programs & Activities, Exhibits, Forums, Tools & Guides, Media, and Research & Evaluation. These pages will bring up all our available resources and clicking specific products will bring up more info, including the materials available for download.

You can see all educational products by going to the Table of Contents [9]. This is an alphabetical list of all resources in the NISE Net Catalog. Catalog section and Sub-section columns help to locate all available materials for these resources in the online catalog. Additional columns offer each products' target audience and the nano topics covered.

To learn more about how the Catalog is categorized, read descriptions of the different catalog sections [10]. 

We host video through two other sites:

www.vimeo.com/channels/nisenet [11]

www.youtube.com/user/NISENet [12]

 

Vimeo allows downloads in MP4 format, which makes Vimeo more user-friendly. Using Vimeo, you can download any video required as part of program content. It's best to use Safari when downloading, and you will need an account with Vimeo. To create one:

1) Log on to www.vimeo.com/join [13]
2) Choose the Basic (free) package
3) Set your account name, email and password

Once this is complete, close the popup if necessary and find your video at www.vimeo.com/channels/nisenet [11]. Click the name of the video to bring up that video's page. Scroll two-thrids of the way down, in the right corner, to the "About this Video" area. Right click the "Download this video" link and select "Download linked file as" to save to your desktop.

For help downloading videos, please see FAQ #10.

For help downloading/uploading other large media, see our Large Media Help Section. [14]

For persistent problems, please contact site support at webmaster@nisenet.org and describe the problem in detail so that we can help you. Please describe exactly which files were not downloading properly, if the download process was incomplete or if the file did not open properly once downloaded.

Comments: If you have feedback about a program or resource in the Catalog [8], website members can leave a comment about that specific resource.  You will need to log in with your username and password to leave a comment.

Catalog products: We have two different kinds of products in the Catalog, NISE Network Products  and Linked Resources:

• NISE Network Products: NISE Network Products listed in the Catalog have been developed with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. These materials are available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license [15]. You can learn more about the NISE Network educational product development process [16] here.

• Linked Resources: Linked Resources are created by another institution or with funding from another grant. Linked Products have their own  permissions and credits, and are not subject to the NISE Network 's Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license [15]. Selected nano education resources created by other organizations may be added to the online Catalog following a review process.  We are interested in links to high quality educational materials that are relevant to NISE Network professional informal science educators.  Review criteria for the educational products suggested for inclusion in the Catalog include: scientific accuracy, nanoscience content and connections, uniqueness in comparison to existing educational products in the Catalog, relevance to informal science educators, and the ability of the owning institution to host the resources on their own website.  If you have a nano educational resource you would like to suggest for possible inclusion in the online Catalog, please send your suggestion to products@nisenet.org.

To learn more about how the Catalog is categorized, read descriptions of the different catalog sections [10].

You can see all educational products by going to the Table of Contents [9]. This is an alphabetical list of all resources in the NISE Net Catalog. Catalog section and Sub-section columns help to locate all available materials for these resources in the online catalog. Additional columns offer each products' target audience and the nano topics covered.

NanoDays [17] is a week of locally-based educational events and activities held each Spring focusing on nanoscale science and engineering. Organizations are invited to join in by linking up with the NISE Network and planning NanoDays events unique to their local communities. The NISE Network provides guides and resources.

NanoDays activities often bring university researchers together with museum educators, creating unique learning experiences and engaging people of all ages. No matter if your event takes place during our week or a time that better meets your needs, you can be a part of NanoDays! For more information, including links to resources like our digital and physical kit, online applications, and eligibility requirements, check out NanoDays [17] in the Community section [18].

We are sorry, we are not able to send physical NanoDays kits outside of the United States. Physical kits are designed for informal science educational institutions (such as museums and research center outreach programs) within the United States.

Free online download of the Digital NanoDays kits is available to anyone who registers on nisenet.org, and is intended particularly for international locations outside the United States, K-12 educators, libraries, and other educational organizations. Many of the activities use inexpensive, readily available supplies. Additionally, many program activities are available for free download through the Catalog feature of the website. Search the Catalog [8] or NanoDays [17] for more info.

We are sorry, we are not able to send physical NanoDays kits to K-12 schools. Physical kits are designed for informal science educational institutions (such as museums and research center outreach programs) within the United States.

Free online download of the Digital NanoDays kits is available to anyone who registers on nisenet.org, and is intended particularly for international locations outside the United States, K-12 educators, libraries, and other educational organizations. Many of the activities use inexpensive, readily available supplies. Additionally, many program activities are available for free download through the Catalog feature of the website. Search the Catalog [8] or NanoDays [17] for more info.

If you would like more ferrofluid sealed in leak-resistant plastic tube, you can purchase them from Educational Innovations:

www.teachersource.com/ElectricityAndMagnetism/Ferrofluid/FerrofluidPreformDisplayCell.aspx [19].

 

item #: FF-200, Ferrofluid Preform Display Cell

This is the same type of ferrofluid used in the NanoDays Exploring Ferrofluid program [20].

For future reference, Catalog products should include details about consumable materials and contact information for vendors; you can often find this information by checking under the Resources tab.

Pre-cut paper buckyballs used in the NanoDays Exploring Structures - Buckyballs program [21] are no longer available for distribution.  However, you can make your own paper buckyball models by purchasing your own buckyball die to use with a hand-operated roller die-cutting machine by following the instructions included under the Resources tab in Exploring Structures - Buckyballs program [21].

We are sorry, we only prepare enough liquid crystal mixture for the NanoDays kits and do not have additional supplies we can send you.

To make your own mixture of the type used in the NanoDays Exploring Materials - Liquid Crystal program [22] click on the Resources tab to get more information on supplies.

For step-by-step video instructions for preparing the liquid crystal mixture click here [23].

 

Alternatively, you can purchase liquid crystal sheets from Educational Innovations: www.teachersource.com [24].

item #LC-2530A, 25-30 ̊C transition

For future reference, Catalog products should include details about consumable materials and contact information for vendors; you can often find this information by checking under the Resources tab.

Select NISE Network educational products are now available in Spanish. Based on input from NISE Network partners, we have adapted our most popular programs for Spanish-speaking audiences. Follow the link below to explore Spanish versions of several NISE Network public programs, as well as selected other resources. We have placed the highest priority on translating products that directly serve public audiences. Professional resources, such as instructional materials and educator’s guides are only available in English at this time.

Spanish Translations [25]

In order to ensure the highest level of scientific accuracy and culturally appropriateness, each translated product goes through a series of reviews. The initial translation of NISE Network materials is conducted by a bilingual developer with expertise in informal science education. All products are in the process of being reviewed by a Spanish speaking research scientist with appropriate content expertise. A final review is then conducted by the International Language Bank (ILB), a service of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO). NISE Network materials were specifically translated with U.S. Spanish-speakers in mind.

The NISE Network has created a variety of promotional and marketing materials for partners to use when promoting their nanoscale science, engineering and technology educational events and activities. These materials include logos, clip art, colors, fonts, and photos.

Promotional Materials [26]

 

To add the NISE Network, NanoDays, or WhatisNano website icon links on your own website, check out our Promotional Materials page. Simply choose a link and the shape of icon, and our site will automatically generate the embeddable widget code.

Promotional Materials [26]