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Date: March 6, 2014 Contact: Teresa Bell Phone: 607-‐272-‐0600 x14 Email: [email protected]
Celebrate NanoDays™ 2014 at the Sciencenter Ithaca, NY – The Sciencenter is making a big deal about the smallest science! Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the Sciencenter conceives, develops, and tests educational activities that foster public awareness, engagement, and understanding of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. These programs and activities reach over a half million museum guests throughout the U.S. during NanoDays. An annual science festival, Nanodays is held at over 300 science museums in the U.S., organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), of which the Sciencenter is a lead partner. NanoDays takes place in Ithaca on Saturday, March 22, 12 – 4 pm at the Sciencenter. Guests can explore nanoscale science and technology with 30+ hands-‐on activities, family-‐friendly presentations, and the Nano exhibition. Admission to the Sciencenter is free all day for NanoDays, sponsored by BorgWarner, Inc. A range of exciting NanoDays programs will demonstrate the special and unexpected properties found at the super tiny nanoscale, examine tools used by nanoscientists, showcase nano materials of particular promise, and invite discussion of technology and society. Guests will investigate super-‐thin, flexible solar cells; encounter forces stronger than gravity; and imagine what society might be like if everyone wore invisibility cloaks. Other activities include using electricity to make a nickel coin look like a penny, and generating electricity in special materials using movement. Over 30 hands-‐on activities will be offered throughout the museum, delivered by Sciencenter staff, volunteers, and researchers from Cornell University (including the Cornell Center for Materials Research; the Cornell Institute for Biology Teachers; the Cornell Laboratory for Accelerator-‐based Sciences and Education; and the Cornell NanoScale Science & Technology Facility.) At noon toddlers, preschoolers and their caregivers are invited to hear a reading of Dr. Seuss’s “Horton Hears a Who!,” make a pair of elephant ears, and experiment with identifying different smells. A special Showtime! Presentation at 2 pm, “A Different Kind of Gas” given by Paul Mutolo of the Energy Materials Center at Cornell, invites guests to discover how fuel cells may one day replace the engine in cars and buses to generate clean, efficient energy. This community-‐based event is the largest public outreach effort in nanoscale informal science education and involves science museums, research centers, and universities from Puerto Rico to Alaska. NanoDays celebrations bring university researchers together with science educators to create learning experiences for both children and adults to explore the miniscule world of atoms, molecules, and nanoscale forces. Most NanoDays events combine fun hands-‐on activities with presentations on current research. More about Nano and the NISE Network At the nanoscale—the scale of atoms and molecules—many common materials exhibit unusual properties. Our ability to manipulate matter at this size enables innovations that weren’t possible
before. Nanotechnology is revolutionizing research and development in medicine, computing, new materials, food, energy, and other areas. Nano will affect our economy, the environment, and our personal lives. Some scientists think that future nanotechnologies and materials could transform our lives as much as cars, the personal computer, or the Internet. But the costs, risks, and benefits of this new technology can be difficult to understand, both for experts and for the general public. The NISE Network helps museums, research institutions, and the public learn from each other about this emerging field so that together we can make informed decisions. The Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) is a national community of researchers and informal science educators dedicated to fostering public awareness, engagement, and understanding of nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. The NISE Network community in the United States is led by 12 organizations, and includes hundreds of museums and universities nationwide. NISE Net was launched in 2005 with funding from the National Science Foundation, and received a five-‐year renewal in 2010. Through activities like NanoDays, the NISE Network is actively building partnerships between science museums and research centers to increase their capacity to engage the public in learning about nanoscale science and engineering. For more information about NISE Net visit: http://www.nisenet.org/nanodays. For more information about Nano please visit: http://www.whatisnano.org
This project is based on work supported by the NSF under Award Nos. 05322536 and 0940143. NanoDays™ is trademarked by North Carolina State University and used by the NISE Network with permission. The Sciencenter inspires excitement for science through interactive exhibits and programs that engage, educate and empower. The hands-‐on museum offers guests of all ages more than 250 exhibits, educational programs, a gift shop, a seasonal outdoor science park. The museum is open Tuesday -‐ Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for children 3-‐17 years, and free to members and toddlers 0-‐2 years. Admission is free Saturday, March 22 for NanoDays. For membership information, current programs and activities, please visit www.sciencenter.org. The Sciencenter is a proud member of the Discovery Trail in Ithaca.
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