NanoDays 2014 are being held from March 29-April 6, 2014 (as per the March 2014 issue of NISENet’s NanoBite). Here’s more from the NISENet (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network) NanoDays event page,

NanoDays is a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering and its potential impact on the future. NanoDays events are organized by participants in the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net – If you’re not already a part of NISE Net, it’s easy to join!) and take place at over 200 science museums, research centers, and universities across the country from Puerto Rico to Hawaii. NanoDays engages people of all ages in learning about this emerging field of science, which holds the promise of developing revolutionary materials and technologies.

You can find a map of NanoDays destinations and participant centers and museums here.

The March 2014 issue of the Nano Bite offers a description of a new NanoDays participant,

→ The Power of HI-Nano
Author credit: Frank Kusiak from Lawrence Hall of Science and Ahia Dye from ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i.

If you ever find yourself on Hawai’i, aka The Big Island, make your way to Hilo and the beautiful and engaging ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center.

‘Imiloa is the premier learning center to explore the culture and science of Mauna Kea, whose peak houses the world’s most extensive array of telescopes. NISE Net was very excited when they decided to take on NanoDays and with the combination of their dedicated staff and NISE Net’s NanoDays kits, it is now a place where NanoKits deepen one’s connection to Hawai’i.

If you do nano outreach, you’ve probably experienced the following: the NanoDays Kit provides the science served up on a platter, but sometimes it’s just really difficult to get visitors to connect with the content. Presenting nano without any context is difficult. We may unintentionally localize nano science, or any science content, to convey an idea by connecting it to a local phenomena. ‘Imiloa is taking it a step further by presenting STEM content through Hawaiian cultural connections and common local experiences. They are creating an array of nano activities with these underlying principles: community-relevancy and fun. They call the series of activities “HI-Nano.”

The name for the NanoKits came about serendipitously…To learn the inspiration behind “HI-Nano” and the numerous connections ‘Imiloa is making for its visitors between nano, nature, and Hawaiian culture, read the full Partner Highlight!

Find out more about ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i by visiting www.imiloahawaii.org/, or contact Frank Kusiak of Lawrence Hall of Science, and the Southwest Regional Hub Leader.

You can read the entire March 2014 issue of the NanoBite here.