NanoDays and DNA Day
April 27, 2013
Both events included with General Admission

NanoDays: The Biggest Event for the Smallest Science!
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Do you think the cloak of invisibility is possible? How are 3D images made? What are hydrogels and liquid crystals?

Part of a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering, NanoDays at Adventure Science Center features the miniscule world of atoms, molecules, and nanoscale forces. Explore how 3D images are made, investigate new nano products and materials, and imagine what the world might look like if we could build an elevator to space!

Activities

• Exploring Fabrication: Make a gummy worm
• Exploring Products: How do liquid crystal displays and computer hard drives work?
• Exploring Materials: Hydrogels push water away. Memory metals remember a shape.
• Exploring Tools: Three-dimensional imaging – How is it done and why?
• Exploring Properties: Ultraviolet light detection and how to make the visible invisible

More about Nano and NISE Network

DNA Day
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

National DNA Day is a unique event where students, teachers and the public can learn more about genetics and genomics!

Adventure Science Center is pleased to partner with Vanderbilt’s Center for Human Genetics Research for the 3rd Annual DNA Day Celebration. Along with favorite activities like making Candy Double Helixes and Personal Traits Bracelets, we will be introducing other fun labs and activities new for this year! 2013 marks the 60th anniversary since the discovery of the DNA double helix. The day also commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003. We look forward to celebrating this landmark in science!

Special Thanks to:

Tennessee State University Chemistry Club Vanderbilt TN SCORE Austin Peay State University Vanderbilt's Center for Human Genetics Research

 
More about Nano and 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 products 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.

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.