Nano is an interactive exhibition that engages family audiences in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. Hands-on exhibits present the basics of nanoscience and engineering, introduce some real world applications, and explore the societal and ethical implications of this new technology....
"Exploring Size - Powers of Ten" is a card game exploring the relative sizes of various objects. Visitors compete to organize their hand of cards into lists of objects from largest to smallest. "Explore Science - Zoom into Nano Powers...
"Exploring Size - Memory Game" is a card game exploring the different size scales - macro, micro and nano - objects within these different scales and the way these objects are measured. Visitors compete to find matching pairs of cards.
"Macro, Micro and Nano Memory" is a memory game that teaches visitors about the macroscale, microscale and nanoscale, the objects within those scales and the way we measure these objects.
"Exploring Size - StretchAbility" is a hands and feet-on game that explores the different sizes of things in the world. Visitors learn that a nanometer is a billionth of a meter.
"Macro, Micro and Nano Stretch-Ability" is a fun, hands AND feet on game which explores objects on several different scales. This activity teaches visitors about the macroscale, microscale and nanoscale, the objects within those scales and the way we measure...
"Ready, Set, Self-Assemble" is a full-body program which introduces visitors to the concept of self-assembly in a fun and energetic way. Through the use of three full-body, interactive games, visitors explore the phenomena of self-assembly and its possible uses in...
This is a card game which can be played with museum visitors. Visitors will learn the relative sizes of various objects. They compete against each other (or you) to organize their hand of cards into lists of objects from largest...
Museum visitors are contestants in a game show that encourages them to learn more about nanotechnology. The three rounds included here cover an introduction to nanotechnology; provide information on nanoparticle solar cells; and express the concerns people have for nanotechnology...
In this cooperative board game, players take on the role of Mission Control here on Earth. They will work together to program and communicate with a rover on Mars to collect four data samples from Mars and send the data back to...
All of the games included in this guide are designed to be played with NASA’s Solar System and Beyond Trading Cards (available from solarsystem.nasa.gov). For some, you may need to print and assemble additional decks based on the number of...
Living in an outpost on the Moon is dangerous. Survival on the Moon will require teamwork! Players will work together to solve a series of challenges grounded in real science about living and doing research on the Moon.
The premise of...
The Survival game show is a public program that's all about working together to create a better future. It introduces the idea that a sustainable future involves meeting the social, environmental and economic needs of all people without damaging the...
Games for the Future is a set of activities designed to engage participants in futures thinking and learning about the UN’s Global Goals for sustainable development. The games include:
In this tabletop board game, players will represent a team of scientists and engineers sending a spacecraft on a mission to space. They'll meet with the surprises, setbacks, and success that accompany every scientific mission. The player who collects enough...
Space Guess Quest is a fun game that encourages participants to identify the many types of objects in space, from human-made spacecraft to nebulas, galaxies, stars, and worlds. Players ask yes-or-no questions about their opponents' secret object until they can...
Atoms to Atoms is an activity that can be used as a engaging game for training facilitators in talking about chemistry and our perceptions around it, or as a longer activity to supplement the hands-on activities in your kit.
Atoms...
In "Exploring the Solar System: Mars Rovers," participants learn about how scientists and engineers use robotic rovers and other vehicles to explore distant worlds, and experience some of the challenges and teamwork required to navigate a rover across the surface...
The Frankenstein200 project developed an online alternate reality game that immerses players in the modern-day Laboratory for Innovation and Fantastic Explorations (or L.I.F.E.). This interactive fictional story imagines what might happen if a character named Dr. Tori Frankenstein picked up...
We believe games can be powerful tools for learning, and inspire strong connections between people and content. The NISE Network experimented with many game formats over our decade-long project focused on nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. This guide focuses on a handful of...
The Future Builder sustainability activity challenges visitors to build a tower representing a future community. Each card presents the players with a new part of their community to build—a school, park, gas station, museum, or something else—each with its own...
In this Building with Biology activity, visitors consider the potential advantages and disadvantages of various areas of synthetic biology research, before investing in them with "tech tokens." Then, visitors assume the role of a different character, and consider how that...
"Bio Bistro" is a card-based personal choice activity, in which visitors decide what current and future synthetic biology-based food products they would, would not, or might eat. They share their opinions on why they made each choice, and discuss what...
NanoBuzz is a web-based kiosk featuring exhibit-ready access to current nanoscale science, technology and engineering and emerging research in the news. Website includes four online puzzle games: Help assemble the carbon nanotubes, Help filter the water, Try to find the...
"Nanotechnology Spin-a-Prize!" introduces visitors to the basics of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology ("nano") through a game show format. Visitors learn that nanometer-sized things are small and often behave differently than larger things do, and that work in this emerging...