The NISENet’s (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network) September 2015 issue of its The Nano Bite newsletter is featuring community,
Are you looking to engage underserved audiences in your community you’re not currently reaching in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology? Maybe you’re seeking ways to expand upon or develop new local community-based collaborations? Do you want to help local community organizations provide high-quality STEM learning experiences for their audiences they might not otherwise provide?
The Network is continuing to build upon its experience, knowledge and network of enthusiastic partners to help museums expand their reach and engagement within their community. To support these partnerships, the NISE Net is developing a free “Explore Science” physical kit of materials intended for outreach events and programs with community-based and youth-serving organizations around nano topics. One hundred (100) Explore Science outreach kits will be made available nationwide to Network partner institutions that apply and meet application requirements; kits will be awarded on a competitive basis.
The Explore Science physical outreach kit includes more than 15 hands-on activities featuring nano topics designed for programming in informal learning settings and appropriate for classroom-style and small group environments, professional development materials such as training videos for each activity, and professional materials on planning and collaboration.
For more project and eligibility details, to learn more the outreach kit and eligible activities for these collaborations, and for additional resources such as profiles of national youth-serving organizations and tips for collaborating, please visit http://www.nisenet.org/museum-community-partnerships.
Important Dates
- Tuesday, September 15: Application for a free Explore Science outreach kit opens (please note the application requires identifying your community partner)
- Wednesday, September 30: Free informational Online Brown-Bag Conversation: Planning a Museum and Community Partnership Project from 2:00 – 3:00pm Eastern
- Friday, November 13: Application for free Explore Science outreach kit closes
In other news, the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) annual chemistry week is coming up October 2015,
→ National Chemistry Week: October 18 – 24, 2015
National Chemistry Week (NCW) is a community based program of the American Chemical Society (ACS) whose annual events unite local ACS local sections, businesses, schools, and individuals in communicating the importance of chemistry to our quality of life. This year’s theme is “Chemistry Colors Our World: the chemistry of food colors and fireworks, rainbows, natural dyes and pigments, and more.” For more resources and to see a list of NISE Net’s hands-on activities that explore chemistry, colors, and light, please visit http://www.nisenet.org/national-chemistry-week.
The last bit of news I’m excerpting from the newsletter concerns the 2015 annual conference for the Association of Science – Technology Centers (ASTC),
→ Are You Planning to Attend the ASTC Annual Conference 2015 in Montreal, Ontario, Canada? So Are We!
The NISE Network will host a booth in the exhibit hall featuring public engagement activities and resources around nanoscale science. The booth will also feature hands-on activities and resources relating to the Building with Biology project highlighting the topic of synthetic biology. Information will also be available about the upcoming Sustainability in Science Museums project. NISE Net’s activities and information about engaging the public in nanoscale science, engineering, and technology (and also one session around synthetic biology) will be featured in the following conference sessions. Please stop by and say hello!
Coincidental to the ASTC annual conference being held Oct. 17 – 20, 2015 in Montréal (Québec, Canada), the Society for the Study of Nanoscience and Emerging Technologies (S.NET) is holding its annual conference from Oct. 18 – 21, 2015 in the same city. Perhaps the NISENet folks and the S.NET folks can get together informally (couldn’t resist the word play)?
The entire September 2015 issue of The Nano Bite can be found here.