My NISENet (Nanoscale Information Science Education Network) June 2013 newsletter recently arrived in my email box but you can find the whole issue here, if you find you’re unsatisfied with the bits I’ll be excerpting.

First off, there’s a brainstorming session for folks who want to apply for one of the network’s mini-grants (this is for US institutions and researchers only),

• 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.

The brainstorming session is one of NISENet’s brown bag events,

Keep an eye out for more details on these conversations and links to sign up on the NISE Network’s events page: www.nisenet.org/community/events. Recordings of past online brown-bag conversations are also archived on the events page.

Next, there’s a new item in the catalog that I find quite intriguing,

→ Liquid Body Armor
The classic experiment “Oobleck” is used to demonstrate how scientists are using the properties of non-Newtonian fluids to create flexible fabrics that might protect military personnel, police officers, football and hockey players, and intrepid museum educators. The cart activity can be found in the nisenet.org catalog.

For anyone living in West Virginia or willing to move, there’s a job (I checked and as of today, June 6, 2013, this job appears to be available),

→ Nano Employment Opportunity: West Virginia University Education Coordinator
West Virginia University currently has an opening for an education coordinator for their NanoSAFE program. The NanoSAFE program has had an ongoing NISE Net partnership with the Children’s Discovery Museum of West Virginia. For details about the position, go to: https://www6.ultirecruit.com/WES1016/JobBoard/JobDetails.aspx?__ID=*DD54A0F70144D880.

Finally, there’s the nano haiku,

World’s skinniest boy
In the world’s coldest playground needs
World’s tiniest coat

Vrylena Olney of the Museum of Science, Boston shares her haiku about the above [in the newsletter] article about the world’s smallest movie, referencing the fact that the movie was made at -260 degrees celsius. Also worth checking out is the video: Moving Atoms: Making the World’s Smallest Movie.

I posted about the movie (which is included in the posting) on May 1, 2013.