The High Tech High (HTH) network of schools is infamous throughout Southern California for its high-quality, high-tech curricula. We were proud to join their science teacher cohort meeting today to let fellow educators know about all of our resources for STEM education. There was a lot of interest among HTH teachers, who envision their students tackling applied nanotechnology projects for the benefit of their communities. With outreach to the HTH network in San Diego, Omni Nano aims to strengthen the pipeline of students entering UCSD’s Nanoengineering program.

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A highly motivated group of students have just completed a Summer Nanotechnology Institute using Omni Nano’s digital textbook and standardized curriculum as well as NanoSchoolBox lab experiments.

Eleventh-grade students at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Uralsk, Kazakhstan, were in for a special treat this summer. A joint effort between chemistry teacher Mrs. Mary Joy Bejerano and Omni Nano provided students with the unique opportunity to learn the fundamental concepts underlying nanotechnology.

In just two weeks, the class of about 20 students completed an impressive volume of lessons about what nanotechnology is and how it is shaping our present and future, including a unit dedicated to modern microscopy, an overview of forces at the bulk versus nanoscales, and an introduction to carbon-based and other common nanomaterials.

Omni Nano’s plug-and-play digital curriculum also allowed the school to leverage its NanoSchoolBox kit from Advanced Materials Science, a German company devoted to hands-on education in emerging technologies such as nanotechnology.

Many of the students plan to continue their studies by enrolling in the full, year-long course starting Fall 2019. Over 30 teachers within the network of Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools are interested in teaching this cutting-edge course.

See how students reacted to the course — check out the quotes below and the video above!

• I am so grateful for this opportunity to study the course in nanotechnology. This class has been great; we have learned a lot and I hope to use the knowledge we have gained in the future.
• We students need this course, as nanotechnology is our future! I believe it will help fix some worldwide problems such as global warming and starvation. I am therefore very grateful for this course’s educators and creator.
• Teacher Testimonial: The online course provides students with a great opportunity to engage and understand the science behind nanotechnology. It opens their minds to integrate science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”) into one fundamental idea that can give unlimited opportunities.

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This sponsorship will allow 200 high school students in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles (LAUSD Districts 3 and 6) to take Nanotechnology AB in the 2019-20 academic year. Many neighborhoods in these district are underprivileged and underrepresented, helping us fulfill our mission to provide advanced STEM education to all students.

SoCalGas recently announced its vision to become the cleanest natural gas utility in North America. As they shift toward more renewable sources of energy, the technologies they utilize will shift and thus the skills of their workforce must keep in step.

Are you an LAUSD student or teacher interested in learning nanotechnology? Contact us today to request our curriculum in your classroom!

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Introduction to Nanotechnology students at West Los Angeles College (WLAC) had a unique opportunity in today’s class to learn how to operate a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a powerful microscope used in many modern labs. Students learned how to prepare samples, load them into a special vacuum staging area, and acquire images of their microscopic and nanoscopic details. Obtaining well-resolved images of the hexagonal patterns on the eye of a bee was a student favorite.

We would like to thank the Hitachi Inspire STEM Education Program for lending us the SEM. Without this program, most community college students would not have the opportunity to use such cutting-edge, sophisticated microscopy equipment.

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Exciting news! The UCLA California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) introduced a brand-new lab at this morning’s “teach-the-teachers” workshop. For the first time ever, CNSI introduced local high school science teachers to a hands-on experiment about the optical properties of plasmonic nanoparticles. Teachers learned how to synthesize gold nanoparticles of various sizes by varying the synthesis conditions. They then explored the optical properties of these nanoparticles dispersed in solution. So cool!

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Omni Nano representatives volunteered at another “teach-the-teachers” workshop today, presented by the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). Local high school teachers learned a new lab using nanoscience to filter/purify water. Each teacher was then provided with all of the supplies needed to bring this hands-on activity into their own classrooms. It’s always an honor to work with like-minded folks who are passionate about cutting-edge STEM education.

CNSI provides free materials for local high school teachers to bring nano labs into their classrooms

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It’s always a pleasure to visit the enthusiastic learners at University High School. University is unique among Los Angeles high schools because it is one of the only schools that offers a full elective course in Nanotechnology. We had the honor of presenting our last workshop of 2018 to their Nanotechnology B class of 25 students who are “hungry” for more nanotechnology knowledge and a complete, standardized textbook to supplement their studies.

Today, we delivered the first two workshops of 2019 to 60 passionate chemistry students. They had a great time playing around with our popular hydrophobic (water-repellent) fabric samples and several expressed interest in enrolling in Nanotechnology for the next term.

We were excited to introduce University High School students to Hitachi’s powerful Scanning Electron Microscope, thanks to the Hitachi High Technologies Inspire STEM Education Program. What a wonderful way to begin the new year!

Feedback from our workshop participants included:

“My favorite thing about the workshop is learning about how important and useful nanotechnology is for the future of mankind. There are limitless possibilities to what we can invent in order to improve our living conditions.”

“Learning about super-hydrophobic surfaces really intrigued me because I haven’t ever seen anything like that before. Ever. In my 15 years of existence…”

“My favorite thing was seeing the super-hydrophobic surfaces deflect water. I want to get some of that for my shoes.”

“I liked how I got to learn more about how the technology works!”

“I got to learn more about nanotechnology and it was really nice reading more about it.”

The post Inspiration Strikes Chemistry Classes at University High School first appeared on Omni Nano.

After many years, the ferrofluids lab has returned to the CNSI! Ferrofluids are fascinating liquid nanoparticle solutions that react strongly in the presence of magnets. It was wonderful to see their return at UCLA’s teach-the-teachers workshops.

Creating ferrofluids from everyday materials has always been a popular lab activity among students and teachers alike. The scientific concepts enabling ferrofluids, such as magnetism, are already familiar to students. This exciting lab further introduces them to fluid dynamics while allowing them to manipulate a fluid firsthand using a magnet. Students love the unique experience of being able to control the shape of a fluid.

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Our Discover Nanotechnology workshops are in such a high demand that Hitachi awarded Omni Nano a supplemental sponsorship, effectively doubling the number of workshops we could deliver under their support. We are particularly grateful to the Inspire STEM Education Program of Hitachi High Technologies America for providing a portable Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) for our workshop participants to utilize. Through this program, Hitachi has inspired 65,000 American students in STEM – and counting.

Dr. Curreli, Executive Director of Omni Nano, commented: “There is a great need to inspire more K-12 students to get into STEM. The demand for our workshops is never ending…. This supplemental sponsorship allows us to introduce nanotech to at least 150 additional students. With our workshops and their SEM program, Hitachi is leading the way for high-quality, modern STEM education in the Los Angeles area.”

The post Hitachi Doubles Down with Additional Support for Omni Nano Workshops first appeared on Omni Nano.

Southern California Edison continues to lead the way in corporate responsibility. For the fifth year in a row, they have awarded Omni Nano with sponsorship to provide motivational STEM workshops to schools in Edison communities in the San Gabriel Valley. Our workshops have been very popular and we are excited to inspire even more local students with this sponsorship.

Take a look at some of the feedback we’ve received from students after Edison-sponsored workshops:

• “It helped me know what science can do to make our future better.”
• “It was a great opportunity for me to learn about a new field that was little known to me before the presentation. I was able to see and experience the cutting edge technologies of nanotech not only verbally and visually, but also, physically.”
• “The all-around explanation of nanotechnology and its applications, as well as the actual tile and cloth covered with hydrophobic material which we as students could see and test for ourselves, were my favorite parts of the presentation.”

Thank you for being an engaged and passionate sponsor, Edison!

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