Omni Nano was proud to represent Hitachi at today’s Science Slam. The event drew about 250 local K-12 students and their parents to witness live STEM demos at El Segundo Elementary School. The Hitachi High Technologies America Inspire STEM Education Program provided its portable Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) along with various samples of insects and minerals. Kids and parents alike were fascinated as they took advantage of a rare opportunity to zoom into the “small world” of the micro- and nanoscales. Thank you also to the Hitachi Southern California Regional Community Action Committee (SCRCAC) for their coordination role!

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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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After its introduction in 2018, the biosensors lab has been proposed again. The lab activity looks at color changes as a result of conformational changes of an enzyme encapsulated in a nanohydrogel that responds to changes in acidity (pH). Approx 28 teachers participated and received a kit that included all the materials needed to perform the lab in their classrooms.

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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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Google coordinated a project between Omni Nano and Master’s students at the University of Colorado Boulder to improve our digital marketing campaign while honing students’ advertising skills. Through the Google Ad Grants Online Marketing Challenge, Omni Nano was paired with a diverse team of talented graduate students. The teams from CU and Omni Nano worked collaboratively to expand and optimize Omni Nano’s Google Ad campaigns.

We want to recognize Tyler Chambers, Sridhar Muralidharan, and Xindi Ruan for all their hard work and insights. Thank you for amplifying the impact of our online advertising!

Spotlight on team leader Tyler Chambers:  Tyler is on track to earn his Master’s of Business Analytics with concentration in Marketing and Customer Analytics from CU Boulder at the end of this school year. With encouragement from his Digital Advertising professor, he volunteered for Google’s Online Marketing Challenge. Based on his experience, Tyler says, “I’m glad it did, as it awarded me the opportunity to meet and work with Omni Nano. This experience has not only made me a better digital marketer, but also sharpened many of my soft skills.”

Tyler earned his Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Marketing from Truman State University, where he explored a number of other academic interests for which he was awarded with three minors in History, Psychology, and Statistical Methods. His advice to learners of all ages is that “as long as you take what you are learning seriously, it will all be beneficial to you. Just because you might not directly use something you studied, doesn’t mean it didn’t make you a better and more well-rounded person.”

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We are always grateful to participate in the “teach-the-teachers” workshop series at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Each workshop gives local high school teachers all the tools they need to introduce nanotechnology labs in their science classrooms. The program is free for educators and relies on volunteers like Omni Nano’s Founder, Dr. Marco Curreli.

Today’s workshop focused on the nanoscale control of wetting, meaning how nanomaterials and nanostructures can keep objects completely dry even when submerged in liquid. Teachers learned hands-on experiments about unwettable, super-hydrophobic materials and took home all the supplies necessary to include the experiment in their classes.

In our own Discover Nanotechnology workshops, we regularly have samples of super-hydrophobic materials. In our experience, these are among the most popular hands-on demonstrations of nanotech available!

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Each year, the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) hosts a “teach the teachers” program. This free program provides science teachers with all of the resources they need to provide their students with exciting and fun nanotechnology-based lab activities. Our founder, Dr. Marco Curreli, always has a wonderful time volunteering and helping fellow educators inspire their students in STEM.

Today was the first workshop of the school year and attracted more than 30 local educators. The workshop focused on measurement at the nanoscale, which is typically done by expensive and sophisticated instruments. In this lab, science teachers learned how to measure the size of molecules using simple light diffraction. Participants were blown away that they could calculate measurements in the 1-nm range, and their students are sure to be inspired as well.

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It’s the beginning of a brand new school year, which means the Nanoscience Institute is back! This free program is going on its 15th year providing science teachers with all of the resources they need to introduce their students to nanotechnology with exciting and fun lab activities.

We are excited for all of these labs, especially the new ones about magnetic liquids and plasmonics! The first workshop will be held next month and will focus on measurement at the nanoscale. Check out the just-released 2018-19 workshop calendar above for more details.

Our founder, Dr. Marco Curreli, always enjoys volunteering to “teach the teachers” through this program at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). We’re excited to be going into the fourth year of this partnership!

Are you an educator interested in participating in these free workshops? Visit the CNSI Educators Portal or contact us today!

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Today’s “teach-the-teachers” workshop introduced another new lab to the curriculum.  We used a nano-sized bead of gel to create a device that can sense the molecule glucose. Amazing!

Before lunch, Dr. Sanaz Pilehvar treated us to a great summary of the nanobiosensor research currently happening at UCLA.  As this was the focus of my Ph.D. thesis, it was fantastic to hear all about the latest advancements in noninvasive biosensors.

Dr. Sanaz Pilehvar lecturing on biosensor technologies.

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