This first item I’m featuring from the February 2015 issue of the Nano Bite (newsletter from the Nanoscale Information Science Education Network [NISENet]) is an Online Brown-Bag Conversation,

Pseudoscience and Nanotechnology
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
3 pm – 4 pm ET [sign up]
New science, like nano, can be misused, misconstrued, or co-opted by greed. This conversation will explore how to identify poor science and will examine how the word “nanotechnology” has been used to sell a variety of products. We’ll finish with a fun “real-science vs. pseudoscience” game show, so come join us!

One of the presenters (the other to be decided) is Frank Kusiak of the Lawrence Hall of Science (University of California at Berkeley).

Next, Valentine’s Day,

→ Valentine’s Day (February 14) Related Activities

• Sweet Self-Assembly program
• What’s Nano About Chocolate video
• What’s Nano About Chocolate signage in Nano Museum Labels (Graphic Signs)
• Exploring Fabrication – Gummy Capsules (NanoDays 12, 13) short activity
• Molecular Gastronomy Mr. O video

As for the snowflakes mentioned in the head for this post, there’s this article by Marissa Fessenden which originated in the Smithsonian magazine,

→ Snowflakes All Fall in One of 35 Different Shapes – No two snowflakes are alike…or are they? Snowflakes are an example of self-assemble systems, and the structure of snowflakes results from the nanoscale arrangement of water molecules in an ice crystal. Researchers from Japan have been able to categorize snow crystals or flakes into one of 35 different shapes. One physicist from Caltech points out that “the study of how crystals form and that knowledge can be applied to making crystals for a host of other applications. For example, silicon and other semiconductors in computers and electronics are built from crystals.”

Related NISE Net activities and resources:

• Snowflakes: Nano at its Coolest – a NISE Net stage demonstration introducing nanoscale science through the subject of snowflakes. During the program, visitors watch videos of snowflakes growing and observe real ice crystals growing in a chilled chamber.
• Ready, Set, Self-Assemble – this NISE Net short activity is a full-body program that introduces visitors to the concept of self-assembly in a fun and energetic way.

Should you be interested in the programme for upcoming brown-bag lunches, information on the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Children’s Museum efforts re: Next Generation Science Standards or 21st Century process skills, and more,  you can find the entire Feb. 2015 issue of the Nano Bite here.