1st Edition
Nanoscience Education, Workforce Training, and K-12 Resources
The nanotech revolution waits for no man, woman…or child. To revitalize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) performance, the U.S. educational system requires a practical strategy to better educate students about nanoscale science and engineering research. This is particularly important in grades K–12, the effective gestation point for future ideas and information.
Optimize your use of free resources from the National Science Foundation
The first book of its kind, Nanoscience Education, Workforce Training, and K–12 Resources promotes nano-awareness in both the public and private sectors, presenting an overview of the current obstacles that must be overcome within the complex U.S. educational system before any reform is possible. It’s a race against time—and other countries—and the fear is that U.S. students could lag behind for decades, with ineffective teaching and learning methods handicapping their ability to compete globally.
Focusing on the application of new knowledge, this concise and highly readable book explores the transdisciplinary nature of nanoscience and its societal impact, also addressing workforce training and risk management. Illustrating the historical perspective of the complexity of K–12 education communities, it defines nanotechnology and evaluates pertinent global and national landscapes, presenting examples of successful change within them.
This book is composed of four sections:
Foundations—addresses the national educational matrix, exploring the scientific and social implications associated with the delay in adopting nanoscience education in public schools
Teaching Nanotechnology—discusses the critical process of teaching K–12 students the skills to understand and evaluate emerging technologies they will encounter
Nanoscience Resources and Programs—provides a wide overview of the resources offered by funded outreach programs from universities with nanoscience centers
Framework Applied—analyzes the structure of national government programs and skill level recommendations for nanoeducation from the National Nanotechnology Initiatives
This book offers plans of action and links to sustainable (largely free) development tools to help K–12 students acquire the skills to understand and evaluate emerging technologies. Promoting a holistic teaching approach that encompasses all aspects of science, the authors strive to help readers implement change so that decisions about resources and learning are no longer made "from the top down" by policymakers, but rather "from the bottom up" by teachers, parents, and students at the local level.
Akhlesh Lakhtakia, one of the contributors to this volume, was recently featured on CNN in a discussion on solar energy.
Section I: Foundations
Introduction to Nanoscience, Technology, and Social Implications
Inclusion of Nanoscience Education in Schools Is Important for Students
Detailed Roadmap for the Twenty-First Century
Understanding the Size in Nanoscience Is a Prerequisite for Teachers
Official Definition of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Size Matters in Scientific Disciplines
Social Implications
Education Is a Complex System: History, Matrix, Politics, Solutions
The Complexity of Our Education System Is Not Easily Penetrated
Brief History of Our Education Matrix
Understanding the Stages of Commercialization for Nanotechnology
Students Are Shifting the Paradigm
Students Are Making a Difference in the Classrooms and the Workplace
How Did We Miss Preparing Management for This Talented Generation?
How Do These Young Professionals Fit into Our Establishment Now?
So How Do These Generational Changes Fit into a Collaborative Advantage for Education?
Teaching Nanotechnology in Grades 1 through 6 in Singapore Was Initiated by an 11-Year-Old Girl
Systems Thinking for Solutions in Education
Introducing Nanoscience through Art
Science, Art, and Writing (SAW): Breaking Down the Barriers between Art and Science
Students Are Digital Natives Who Are Now Teaching the Teachers
Study Shows Four-Year-Old Preschool Students Think Like Scientists
More Nursery School Children Going Online
Teaching the Art of Game Design As a Career Path Combines Art and Computer Science
First Nanoscience Educational Game for K–12 Developed in the United Kingdom
Essential Features, Content, and Pedagogical Strategies in Game Development
Role Playing as Experiential Learning
Nobel Laureates Are Role Models in Teaching Nanoscience
Richard P. Feynman (1918–1988)
Richard Errett Smalley (1943–2005)
Leon M. Lederman, 1922
Section II: Teaching Nanotechnology
What is Nanotechnological Literacy?
How Do We Teach Nanotechnology’s Identity?
What Is Nanotechnology?
Why Do We Use Nanotechnology?
Where Does Nanotechnology Come From?
How Does Nanotechnology Work?
How Do We Teach about Change in Nanotechnology?
How Does Nanotechnology Change?
How Does Nanotechnology Change Us?
How Do We Change Nanotechnology?
How Do We Teach Evaluation of Nanotechnology?
What Are Nanotechnology’s Costs and Benefits?
How Do We Evaluate Nanotechnology?
Section III: Nanoscience Resources and Programs
K–12 Outreach Programs
Overviews:
Nanoscience Education Outreach Programs from U.S. Universities and Nano Centers
The Institute for Chemical Education, Madison, Wisconsin
Materials World Modules at Northwestern University—Middle and High School
NCLT—National Center for Learning and Teaching Nanoscale Science and Engineering—Northwestern University
Ohio State University—Center for Affordable Nanoengineering of Polymeric Biomedical Devices (CANPBD)
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) State University at Albany
Columbia University–MRSEC Center for Nanostructured Materials, New York City (NYC)
University of Pennsylvania MSREC
Lehigh University—Outreach K–12
Arizona State University’s Interactive NanoVisualization for Science and Engineering Education (IN-VSEE) Project Initiated in 1997
Georgia Institute of Technology–Nanotechnology Research Center
Purdue University–Nano-HUB
Harvard University–Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology—MIT Open Courseware Projects
Cornell University—Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility (CNF)
California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)
University of California, Santa Barbara, Materials Research Laboratory
Rice University–Houston, TX—K–12 Outreach Programs
University of Virginia, Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering UVA Virtual Lab K–12
Colorado State University—NSF Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Engineering Research Center (ERC)
University of Colorado—Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, Boulder
NASA Nanotechnology Education Outreach
University of Illinois—Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing (Nano-CEMMS)
Stanford University and IBM—Center for Probing the Nanoscale
University of California—Berkeley—Center of Integrated Nanomechanical Systems (COINS)
Berkeley Nanotechnology Club (BNC)
Northeastern University (NEU)—Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN)
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)
The University of Alabama—Center for Materials and Information Technology
University of Maryland (UMD)—Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)
Molecular Expressions—Exploring the World of Microscopy—Florida State University
The NIEHS Kids’ Pages
Overviews of Nanotechnology Workforce Programs
Industry Needs for Nanotechnology Education
Pennsylvania State University, Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization, and Nanofabrication Facility
The Nanotechnology Workforce Development Initiative (NWDI) Texas
Dakota County Technical College (DCTC), Rosemount, Minnesota, Deb Newberry MSc., Contributor
The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), State University at Albany
Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA—NSF Foothill College Nanotechnician Program, Professor Robert D. Cormia, Contributor
Nano-Safety: The One Issue That Is Missing from the Education Equation, Walt Trybula, Ph.D., Contributor
Lateral Diffusion of NanoEducation: Developing the New Workforce, Dr. Dominick Fazarro, Contributor
Informal Science Resources
A Catalog of Programs
Cornell University Informal Outreach
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Presents the Molecularium™
PBS DragonflyTV
The Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California–Berkeley
Lawrence Berkeley Labs—Nano*High Program
ChemSense—Visualizing Chemistry
NanoSense—The Basic Sense behind Nanoscience
"When Things Get Small"—UCSD TV
Understanding Science—University of California, Berkeley
Museum of Paleontology
NISE Network Videos, Audio, and Podcasts
NPR’s Science Friday
The Exploratorium—San Francisco, CA
Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM)
Boston Museum of Science—Partnership with NSEC Harvard
Rice University—Center for Biological and Environmental
Nanotechnology (CBEN)
What Is Cool Science?
Science News for Kids
UnderstandingNano Web Site Offers Lesson Plans for Educators
Overviews: Global Nanotechnology Initiatives and Resources
Growth of Nanotechnology Education and Initiatives Globally
Preparation for Nanotechnology in Developing Nations
New Courses for Aerospace and Aeronautics Engineering Professionals
Creating a Pipeline for Emerging Technologies
NASA MMO Game "Moonbase Alpha"
Nanotechnology Initiatives and Educational Resources around the World
Global Resources for Nanoscience Education
Free Software for Simulation
Section IV: Framework Applied
Assessing the Options for Action and Implementation
Where Do We Start?
Why Aren’t the Teachers Using the Resources?
Revised Science Standards Would Support President Obama’s Challenges to Educators
Stakeholders Gather to Discuss Nanoscience Education
President Obama Included Changes to No Child Left Behind in Proposed 2011 Budget
Preparing Students for Success in College and the Workforce
Raising the Rigor of Academic Standards
The Educate to Innovate Program Addresses Science and Technology—STEM Education
New Legislation That Addresses Workforce Training of Technicians in Nanotechnology
A Conceptual Framework to Develop New Science Education Standards for K–12
The Twenty-First Century Paradigm—Working Together
Where Do We Start?
Teachers and Students Can Explore the Curriculum and Resources Together
What About Physics, Chemistry, or Engineering?
New Programs to Support Teachers
Rethinking Education—Can We Succeed?
Inclusion of Students for Solutions
Re-Inventing Schools Coalition
Teachers Respected As Stakeholders
The First International Collaboration in the United States on K–12 Nanoscience Courses
The North Region K–12 Education Center for Nanotechnology
K–12 Nanotechnology Education Curriculum Project by Teachers
The Mid-North Region K–12 Education Center for Nanotechnology
The Mid-South Region K–12 Education Center for Nanotechnology
The South Region K–12 Education Center for Nanotechnology
East Region Nanotechnology K–12 Education and Development Center
Become a "Seed Teacher" and Start the Process in the United States
Biography
Judith Light Feather is president of The NanoTechnology Group, Inc., which provides resources for every aspect of nanoscience education, from curriculum to development tools for teachers. The company’s News Division provides informal educational information and news for the public at www.NanoNEWS.TV presently serving on the Board of the NanoEthics Group, and multiple boards at Lifeboat Foundation. Miguel F. Aznar serves as executive director of KnowledgeContext, director of education for Foresight Institute, and on the advisory boards of both the Nanoethics Group and the Acceleration Studies Foundation. He has presented at educational conferences, including Computer Using Educators (CUE), California Educational Research Association (CERA), and California League of Middle Schools (CLMS).
"There’s a stack of books on our desk and a cloud of PDFs on our desktop that focus on the social and ethical implications (SEI) of nanotech, but this 2011 collection by Judith Light Feather and Migeul F. Aznar will be among the few “go to” texts for our classes and research in coming years. With critical essays, lively pedagogical ideas and techniques, and a veritable database of resources that more than deliver on the title keyword, the book is a timely tool for growing the best of all plausible nanotechnological futures. ... The sheer variety of perspectives represented here helps the volume avoid the usual monotone voice of jargon that too often haunts such compilations. The result is a fresh and lucid take on the metaphorical roadmap to nanotechnology, with a welcome emphasis on bottom-up approaches to education and workforce training. There is much to like here—an impressive, sometimes dizzying array of resources and approaches for educators and administrators in time to make a difference in today’s classroom and hacklab."
-- U.S. Journal of Nanophotonics, Vol. 5, 2011
