Nano & Society

Staff training materials for Nano & Society workshop. The workshop focused on preparing museum educators to engage the public in conversations about the relationship between nanotechnology and society. Workshop participants learned new hands-on activities, full-length programs, and ideas for facilitating...

This case study conducted by SRI Education examined how complex and potentially controversial science ideas are translated for the public through a research-to-practice partnership between university scientists and museum professionals, collaborating to address a problem of educational practice, with mutual...

This guide is focused on "three big ideas" that can provide a framework to help museum staff and visitors feel empowered to reflect on the relevance of nanotechnology in their lives through open-ended conversation. The guide considers how new nanotechnologies...

Improv exercises empower educators to facilitate positive, learning conversations with visitors. Incorporating improv exercises into staff and volunteer training helps create a supportive and upbeat environment for educators to practice and strengthen essential skills. Included are tips on how to...

"Exploring Nano & Society - You Decide!" is a hands-on activity in which visitors sort and prioritize cards with new nanotechnologies according to their own values and the values of others. Visitors explore how technologies and society influence each other...

"Exploring Nano & Society - Tippy Table: is an open-ended conversational experience in which visitors have additional blocks to place on the tippy table component of the Nano Mini-Exhibition. Conversations around where visitors place these new blocks lead them to...

"Exploring Nano & Society - Space Elevator" is a open-ended conversational experience in which visitors imagine and draw what a space elevator might look like, what support systems would surround it, and what other technologies it might enable. Conversation around...

"Exploring Nano & Society - Flying Cars" is a hands-on activity in which visitors imagine and build a flying car out of small foam pieces. Conversations around this process lead visitors to explore how technologies and society influence each other...

Nano Around the World is a card game designed to get participants to reflect on the potential uses of nanotechnology across the globe. Players each receive three cards: a character card, a current technology card, and a future technology card...

These 'Do It Yourself' Nano activities and experiments allow families to experience and learn about nanoscale science, engineering, and technology at home or on the go! They are are designed to be done in the comfort of your own home...