Tag Archives: NISENet Online Brown Bag Conversations

Nanoscale Information Science Education Network’s (NISENet) Nano and food online chat and deadline for applications for NanoDays 2014 kit on the horizon

A change of editors for the November 2013 issue of The Nano Bite (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network’s newsletter) has been announced. Taking over from Eli Bossin (moved to a new job) is Kayla Berry, from the Nov. 2013 Nano Bite,

Please welcome the new author of the Nano Bite newsletter and NISE Net Coordinator, Kayla Berry! Kayla’s background is in earth sciences, and worked previously as the communications and outreach and project coordinator with a university consortium, which has primed her for her role within the NISE Net community. This is her first formal introduction to nano-science and is extremely “excited”! Please send work, haikus, or interesting news items to propose for the newsletter to kberry@mos.org.

Congratulations to them both as they take up their new positions.

I’ve picked out a couple of items from this month’s issue, which are of particular interest to me. First, there’s an online Brown Bag Lunch coming up on Weds., Nov. 13, 2013,

→ Online Brown-Bag Conversations
Brown-bag conversations help to foster dialogue among NISE Net community members, to share lessons learned, and discuss new ideas. The final brown-bag (Nano in Food) for 2013 will take place on November 13, 2013:

Nano in Food – Wednesday, November 13, 2013: 3:00 pm Eastern/1:00 pm Pacific
Presenter: Frank Kusiak, Lawrence Hall of Science
Learn all about the intersection of nano and food. Who doesn’t love food? Who doesn’t love nano? To sign up for this conversation, go to: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1334724/Brown-Bag-Nano-in-Food-11-2013

Did you miss a previous brown-bag or are you interested in upcoming conversations? Check out the NISE Net brown-bag schedule and archives for further details. Upcoming brown-bags in 2014 will include a variety of NanoDays-related themes such as What’s Coming in Your 2014 NanoDays Kit, Hosting a Billingual NanoDays, and The Science Behind NanoDays, just to name a few.

Second, the deadline for applications for the Nano Days 2014 (March 29 – April 6, 2013) physical kit is soon,

→ Don’t Delay: NanoDays 2014 Kit Applications Due December 1, 2013
Ready, set, don’t forget to submit your 2014 NanoDays application for a physical kit with a whole range of new and favorite activities, including training materials to bring nanoscale science, engineering, and technology to your institution and community. NanoDays participants will have the opportunity to explore capillary action and non-Newtonian fluids, investigate new nano products and materials, and imagine what society might be like if we all wore invisibility cloaks! Other activities include using electricity to coat a nickel coin in copper and a program about Robots & People. Take advantage of all these activities by incorporating the hands-on experience into year-round programs!

To learn more about NanoDays, eligibility, and how to apply, go to
http://www.nisenet.org/blog/nanodays/nanodays_2014_kit_applications_-_due_december_1_2013.

I believe you must be based in the US to apply.

Finally, the Nano Haiku,

Nano Haiku
Thermal camouflage.
Vanadium Oxide for
military gear.

This month’s haiku was submitted by Luke Donforth from the University of Vermont. …

I have covered the story about the ‘chameleon’ effect in my Oct. 24, 2013 posting.

Mini-grants (!), Inside Science nanotechnology videos, and a nano haiku: July 2013 issue of The Nano Biet

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The July 2013 issue of NISENet’s (Naoscale Informal Science Education Network) newsletter, The Nano Bite is surprisingly, given that it’s summer, full. Here are a few of the items I found most interesting. First up is today’s (July 2, 2013) 10 am PDT Online Brown Bag conversation on mini-grants (these grants are for US institutions and researchers),

Partnerships to Reach New Audiences with NISE Net Mini-Grants – Tuesday, July 2nd, 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern: Creating meaningful partnerships to reach new audiences can be a challenging endeavor. Join us in a conversation as we explore what some institutions have done with mini-grant awards in developing partnerships. Tell us more about some of the great work you’ve been doing and how you’ve met some of your challenges head on. To sign up for this conversation, go to: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1272562/Online-Brown-Bag-Conversation-Partnerships-to-Reach-New-Audiences-with-NISE-Net-Mini-Grants

If you’re too late to attend today’s session, there’s one on Aug. 13, 2013,

Mini-Grants 2014 Brainstorming and Guidelines – Tuesday, August 13th, 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern: Have a great idea you want to turn into a NISE Network mini-grant project? You’re not alone! Please join us for a brainstorming session for the 2014 mini-grant application cycle. We will discuss the mini-grant program and have an opportunity for you to converse with colleagues and regional hub leaders about your project ideas. We also welcome previous mini-grant awardees with advice for future applicants to join in this conversation. To sign up for this conversation, go to: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1272607/Online-Brown-Bag-Conversation-Mini-Grants-2014-Brainstorming-and-Guidelines

Larry Bell in a June 17, 2013 posting on the NISENet blog wrote about a ‘reverse’ site visit to the US National Science Foundation,

At our reverse site visit at NSF this week, Mihail Roco, NSF’s Senior Advisor for Nanotechnology, suggested that NISE Net envision its activities in the years ahead to encompass the applications that will be made possible by convergence. See the just published report at this website: http://www.wtec.org/NBIC2-Report/

The ‘convergence’ report mentioned and linked to in Bell’s posting was published by the World Technology Evaluation Center (WTEC) and it’s full title is, CONVERGENCE OF KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY: BEYOND CONVERGENCE OF NANO-BIO-INFO-COGNITIVE TECHNOLOGIES, and it was edited by Mihail C. Roco, William S. Bainbridge, Bruce Tonn, and George Whitesides. It’s also possible to watch a webcast (you will have to register) of the report presentation which occurred on Dec. 11, 2012 and featured some of the editors and contributors to the volume.

NISENet has added new video materials to its catalog,

→ New Linked Products in the Catalog

Inside Science TV Nanotechnology Videos: Inside Science TV, produced by the American Institute of Physics, features videos on nanotechnology including Nanotech Material Protects Against Most Liquids.

Nano Rap Videos from Science Rapper Coma Niddy: Science rapper Mike Wilson AKA Coma Niddy has created several different nanotechnology videos, including one that was linked to by Wired magazine!

Just click on the Resources tab to access the videos for Inside Science and Nano Rap video catalog items. Btw, Coma Niddy has been mentioned here before in my Mar. 8, 2012 posting where I embedded his Nano Love music video.

Finally, here’s the haiku for month,

Nano Haiku

Printed batteries
the size of a grain of sand
Power the future

Brad Herring of the Museum of Life and Science, referring to recent work at Harvard University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign using 3D printing to create lithium-ion batteries the size of a grain of sand. The “ink” in this case contains nanoparticles of a lithium metal oxide compound with the right electrochemical properties.

The full July 2013 issue of The Nano Bite is available online here (http://www.nisenet.org/community/nanobite/nano_bite_july_2013).

Nano labels, days, and haiku

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With NISENet’s (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network) NanoDays 2013 coming up at the end of this month (Mar. 30 – April 7), the launch of a nano museum label series (as per the February 2013 issue of NISENet’s Nano Bite newsletter) seems quite timely,

Sadly, I can’t manage to make a good copy to include here but I think this serves to give you an idea of what the series looks like. Here’s how this label resource is described (from the Nano Museum Labels (Graphic Signs) (NanoDays 2013) webpage),

This series of museum labels are designed for general use in your museum or institution to highlight existing connections to nanoscale science, engineering, or technology. NISE Net partners are already coming up with creative ways to use these labels to showcase nano. For example, you can make a scavenger hunt or special tour to encourage visitors to find all the connections! Additional templates (.doc and .indd) are also provided so that you can create your own signage and content.

NISENet’s Online Brown Bag series which I mentioned in my Jan. 29, 2013 posting features two upcoming events while the first event is now available for viewing online,

→ Online Brown-Bag Conversations

The NISE Network has launched a series of online brown-bag conversations focused on helping NISE Network partners share their work and learn from others in the Network. The aim of the online brown-bag conversations is to increase the number of professional development opportunities available to NISE Net partners, create more channels for Network partners to learn from each other directly, and create ways for partners to follow-up on ideas or efforts that emerge at in-person meetings. You can find details for all of the NISE Network’s online brown-bag conversations on the nisenet.org events page. Details and sign-up links for the upcoming conversations before NanoDays are below:

Bust Out the Tablet for NanoDays! Mobile Devices and Nanotechnology Conversations – Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 1-2 pm Eastern Time: If you’re using mobile devices on the museum floor and you’re holding a NanoDays event, why not combine the two!? For this brown-bag, we’ll discuss ways to supplement and extend visitor interactions about nano using a mobile device like an iPad. We will discuss nano apps, facilitation strategies, and unconventional uses of mobile devices to reach your audience about nano. If you already use mobile devices for nano, we will also have time for you to share! For more details and to sign up for this conversation, please go to: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1141410/Bust-Out-the-Tablet-for-NanoDays-Mobile-Devices-and-Nanotechnology-Conversations-3-5-13

The Science Behind NanoDays Activities – Part Two – Tuesday, March 19, 2-3 pm Eastern Time: Please join us for a second discussion of the science behind more NanoDays activities. Additional details will be posted to: http://www.nisenet.org/community/events/online_workshop/online_brown-bag_conversation_science_behind_nanodays_activities_-_

For those who were unable to attend, a recording of the previous Science Behind NanoDays Activities is available at: http://www.nisenet.org/community/events/online_workshop/online_brown-bag_conversation_science_behind_nanodays_activities_re

Here’s the monthly nano haiku,

Nano is coming.
We’ll all die from grey goo,
But not from cancer.

This alternately foreboding and hopeful haiku form comes to us from Anders Liljeholm, formerly of the Oregon Museum of Science & Industry.

For anyone who wants to read the whole February 2013 issue of Nano Bite, go here.

FrogHeart

Commentary about nanotech, science policy and communication, society, and the arts

Tag Archives: NISENet Online Brown Bag Conversations

Nanoscale Information Science Education Network’s (NISENet) Nano and food online chat and deadline for applications for NanoDays 2014 kit on the horizon

Mini-grants (!), Inside Science nanotechnology videos, and a nano haiku: July 2013 issue of The Nano Biet

Nano labels, days, and haiku