Vote Nano!

TYPE: Short Activities
AUDIENCE: Ages 7 - Adult
TOPIC: Science and Society
In this activity, learners will vote on different questions about nanotechnology with marbles in separate containers, and visualize how others have answered the same question.
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DESCRIPTION

Visitors will engage in a variety of survey type questions focusing on different aspects of nanotechnology. For each question posed, they will be provided short descriptions about the possible options. They will then place their vote using a marble in the container labeled with their selection. Throughout the day the public will be able to visualize how others have answered the same question by looking at the quantity of marbles in each container. Museum staff can use the data to chart trends in public knowledge about nanotechnology.

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  • A purple voting station with four options asking what the size of Nano is
  • A purple voting station with four options asking what the size of Nano is with marbles
  • A purple voting station with four options asking what the size of Nano is
  • A purple voting station with four options asking what the size of Nano is with marbles

DESCRIPTION

Visitors will engage in a variety of survey type questions focusing on different aspects of nanotechnology. For each question posed, they will be provided short descriptions about the possible options. They will then place their vote using a marble in the container labeled with their selection. Throughout the day the public will be able to visualize how others have answered the same question by looking at the quantity of marbles in each container. Museum staff can use the data to chart trends in public knowledge about nanotechnology.

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TRAINING VIDEOS

OBJECTIVES

BIG IDEA

Exposing the public to different nanotechnology topics while collecting data about their choices.

LEARNING GOALS

  • Increases their scientific literacy

  • Be informed about more issues related to nanotechnology

  • Develop critical thinking skills

NANO CONTENT MAP

Nanoscience, nanotechnology, and nanoengineering lead to new knowledge and innovations that weren't possible before.

Nanotechnologies—and their costs, utility, risks, and benefits—are closely interconnected with society and with our values.

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TYPE:
Educational Resources
AUDIENCE:
Ages 7 - Adult
LANGUAGES:
English
ADDITIONAL TOPICS: Engineering and Technology Nanotechnology Societal Topics Science and Society
KEYWORDS:

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2012
PROJECT
OWNING INSTITUTION

Children’s Museum of Houston

FUNDING

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.