Have a poster contest, host a science cafe, or stage a 100 billion nanometer race… There are many ways to celebrate National Nanotechnology Day on October 9. (The date refers to the nanometer scale: 10^–9 meters.)

The federal National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) has a list of activities taking place at schools, colleges, government labs, and businesses around the country. It also has a broad list of nanotech educational resources, including exhibits, classroom activities, Dragonfly TV, and other information for K-12 teachers and students. There’s also a Nanotechnology and You site with infographics and other explanation of ultrasmall science.

Meanwhile, your class can enjoy the adventures of Generation Nano Superheroes created by middle and high school students for a contest sponsored by the National Science Foundation and NNI, watch Super Small Science videos produced by NSF and NBC Learn, or do hands-on TryNano games and activities. The American Chemical Society has a video series on such topics as nanomachines as well as nanotechology lessons for middle and high school students.

Here are some eGFI Teachers activities and features: 

• Explore the Nano in Sunblock (Activity for grades K-12)
• Nano Waterproofing (Activity for grades 6 to 12)
• Nanotechnology (Series of 8 activities and videos involving the gecko’s ability to walk up walls from  McREL)
• Nano in the Classroom (2010 article with links to online resources)
• Integrating Nanotechnology in the High School Science Classroom (McRel initiative)
• It’s Nano Time! (eGFI student blog post with videos)

Cover image courtesy of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It shows a structure made with a scanning tunneling microscope at the NIST Nanoscale Physics Facility. The larger blue peaks are pairs of cobalt atoms, while the two smaller peaks are single cobalt atoms. The swirls on the copper surface illustrate how the cobalt and copper electrons interact with each other.

Filed under: K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features, Web Resources

Tags: Class Activities, Events, gecko, McREL, nanoengineering, National Nanotechnology Day, Resources for Teachers, Teacher Resources, TryNano, Videos, Web Resources