May 2014

In 1959, Richard Feynman, one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, challenged his fellow scientists with a series of questions: ‘Why cannot we write the entire 24 volumes of Encyclopaedia Britannica on the head of a pin?’; ‘What would happen if we could arrange the atoms one by one the way we want?’; and ‘What good would it be to see individual atoms distinctly?’ However, it was not until the dawn of the nanotechnology age in the 1980s that scientists could take up this challenge.

Today, with the nanorevolution in full swing, we have not only answered Feynman’s questions, we’ve gone well beyond what he could have imagined. Nanomaterials and nanoparticles have made their way into virtually all fields of science – from medicine, physics and chemical engineering to information technology and computing; and from there to our everyday life.

Informing and teaching about the underlying principles of nanoscience, its risks, benefits and societal implications, is thus essential for the responsible development of this new field. Richard Feynman directed his last challenge to teachers and educators ‘to get kids interested in this field’. And again, it’s been only recently that teachers and researchers realised the importance and potential of teaching nanotechnology in schools. Since the mid-2000s, especially after the European Commission Action Plan for nanosciences and nanotechnologies (2005-2009), there have been numerous projects focussing on different aspects of nanotechnology for pupils. Their outcomes include learning materials, teacher training, curriculum analysis and public engagement, among many others.

This newsletter brings an overview of these projects and their results: resources, hands-on experiments, research analysis, as well as materials and events planned for the near future. We can’t cover every aspect in this rapidly-developing area of science: our ambition here is to give you an idea of the different angles by which nanotechnology can be approached, and provide you with a starting point in your own explorations.

Whether you are a teacher, science communicator, researcher or a project manager, we hope you’ll find it useful!

Teaching nanotechnology

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SCIENTIX NEWSLETTER

The community for science education in Europe

SCIENTIX

If you are looking for a one-stop resource to start teaching nanotechnology, then the Nanoyou Welcome Pack is just for you. It may well be one of the most comprehensive resources on offer: it contains background materials for teachers, student worksheets, hands-on experiments, discussion games, and more. To follow up, you can try out the two nanOpinion Experiments, which explore some nanotechnology applications in medicine.

The principal author of the Nanoyou and nanOpinion materials is Luisa Filipponi from the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Centre (iNANO) at Aarhus University in Denmark. With a PhD in Nanotechnology, Luisa has extensive experience in nanotechnology education in primary and secondary schools, including teacher training and outreach. We asked Dr Filipponi to present the school experiments she designed and share some tips how to engage students with nanotechnology.

• Can you briefly present the school experiments you created for Nanoyou and nanOpinion? What are the main differences between them?

The experiments were designed with three main criteria in mind: 1) simple: Nanoyou experiments do not use sophisticated instruments, they can be run safely in an average school laboratory; 2) engaging: the experiments are “hands-on” and the students can see some astonishing nano-effects while performing the experiments 3) Adaptable: the experiments can be used with students of different ages. There are four experiments: the first one shows some natural nanomaterials; the second one liquid crystals; the third one a gold nanosensor; and the fourth one superhydrophobic textiles inspired by the surface of Lotus leaves. Nanoyou has developed two versions of each experiment, one for the 11-13 age group, and one for the 14-18 age group.

Similarly to Nanoyou experiments, nanOpinion experiments are interdisciplinary and application-based. One is a model of a drug delivery system, and the second one shows an electrochromic thin film. A third one is a virtual experiment that looks at the future of mobile phones using molecular electronics.

Taken together, the two packages provide teachers with a range of experiments to show some fundamental concepts of nanoscience applied to concrete applications that students can relate to.

• You have been teaching about nanotechnology to both students and teachers from many different countries. In your experience, what are the challenges in teaching and learning about nanotechnology in science classes, and what can teachers do to address them?

The best way to teach nanotechnology is to start from some real applications, and the experiments are a great way to do this. The fundamental aspects of nanoscience can be quite complex and might scare students. Therefore, my suggestion is to start with the experiments, since each of them highlights some concrete applications of nanotechnology enabled by the peculiar properties of nanomaterials. The ultimate aim should be to stimulate student’s curiosity for the “nanoworld” and show how, at the nanoscale, materials behave differently and how this can be used in a great number of applications.

• What would be your advice for teachers to attract their students to careers in science, and especially nanotechnology?

Share your passion and make it fun! Most people I know who decided to study science did so thanks to an inspiring teacher who was able to make science fun and engaging – me included! I think nanotechnology can be attractive to students because of its interdisciplinary nature. Moreover, the field is rather new so there is a need for a large number of researchers in nanotechnology.

The community for science education in Europe

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The great strength of nanotechnology is that it doesn’t fall under just one discipline; it can be applied nearly everywhere. But this strength can be challenging for teachers: Which subjects to choose to introduce nanotechnology? How to integrate it in the curriculum? Should it have its own individual curriculum?

We won’t answer these questions here, but we can give you some tips and resources to help you overcome those issues.

We have divided our selection into a couple of sections, each presenting different type of materials or tools. The first two chapters directly address teaching practice: they cover introductory lessons on nanoscience and hands-on experiments. The third chapter aims at researchers and project managers, developing new materials and activities in nanotechnology. Finally, the last part presents ongoing projects in nanotechnology education and outreach, their activities and events.

TEACHING NANOTECHNOLOGY

Nanoyou Welcome PackAge range: 11-18Languages available:English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, SpanishCopyright:

http://www.scientix.eu/web/guest/nanoyou-welcome

nanOpinion Experiment A: drug deliverynanOpinion Experiment B: nanoscale thin films

age range: 14-18Languages available: English, Bulgarian, Finnish, Italian Copyright:

http://www.scientix.eu/web/guest/drug-deliveryhttp://www.scientix.eu/web/guest/thin-films

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SCIENTIX NEWSLETTER – May 2014

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN CURRICULA

NanoEIS Report on secondary school education and its contribution to facilitating transition into university Countries involved: Austria, Czech Republic, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Spain http://scientix.eu/web/guest/transition-to-uni

nanOpinion School Mapping ReportCountries involved: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Romania, Spain, Turkey http://scientix.eu/web/guest/school-mapping

Where is nanotechnology taught, and to what extent?

The nanoEIS project looked at how, in which countries and to what extent nanotechnology is already taught and how it can be used to facilitate transition to university level science. In the six countries involved in the study, only a small fraction of secondary school students are introduced to nanotechnology, with Ireland at the top (~ 20 % of all students aged 15-18).

Support from universities in teaching nanotechnology is also largely lacking: most collaboration programmes between schools and universities include only a few schools and usually end within a year or two.

How to tailor nanoscience resources to European school curricula

The nanOpinion project analysed the curricula of 13 European countries to see how to they can fit nanotechnology into their science classes. In its School Mapping Report, nanOpinion clustered these school curricula into three groups according to their flexibility: (1) most flexible, (2) somewhat flexible, and (3) less flexible.

The conclusion is that flexible school curricula are more open to nanotechnology lessons and modules, while teachers in countries with less flexible curricula are recommended to use shorter activities complementing the existing subjects.

When introducing nanotechnology to schools, researchers, project managers and teachers alike face a number of practical questions: What subject to choose to teach about nanoscience? Can it be integrated into the school curriculum? Are there enough pre-service and in-service training opportunities for teachers?

All nanotechnology education projects deal with these questions. The results of their work and their analysis can help others in developing their own programmes and activities. We have selected two reports that can provide a basis for further analysis of the current state of nanotechnology education in primary and secondary level.

TO KNOW MORE

Scientix projects on nanotechnology educationOngoing:

• NanoDiode: Developing Innovative Outreach and Dialogue on responsible nanotechnologies in EU civil society, http://tinyurl.com/nanodiode

• NanoEIS: Nanotechnology Education for Industry and Society, http://tinyurl.com/nanoEIS

• Nanopinion – Monitoring Public Opinion on Nanotechnology in Europe, http://tinyurl.com/nanopinion

• Quantum Spin-Off: Connecting Schools with High-Tech Research and Entrepreneurship, http://tinyurl.com/quantum-spinoff

Past:

• Nanologue: Europe-wide Dialogue on Social, Ethical and Legal Impacts of Nanotechnology, http://tinyurl.com/nanologue

• Nanototouch: Nanosciences Live in Science Centres and Museums, http://tinyurl.com/nano2touch

• Global Excursion: Extended Curriculum for Science Infrastructure Online, http://tinyurl.com/global-excursion

• FET-House: Helping Young People Choose Science and Engineering Careers, http://tinyurl.com/fet-house

• Nanodialogue: Enhancing Dialogue on Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences in Society at the European Level, http://tinyurl.com/nanodialogue

• Time for Nano – Tools to Increase Mass Engagement for Nanotechnology, http://tinyurl.com/time4nano

• Nanochannels: Engaging and Debating Nanotechnology on Media Channels to European Citizens, http://tinyurl.com/nanochannels

• Nanoyou – Nano for youth, http://tinyurl.com/nanoyouth

Visit their presentation on Scientix to learn more about their activities and to download the learning and teaching materials they have created.

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SCIENTIX NEWSLETTER – May 2014

Scientix is managed by European Schoolnet (EUN) under the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme. EUN is a consortium of 30 Ministries of Education in Europe. Since its founding in 1997, it has become one of the key organisations in driving innovation in teaching and learning, and fostering pan-European collaboration of schools and teachers. It is based in Brussels, Belgium. www.eun.org, Rue de Trèves, 61 | 1040 Brussels, Belgium.

Contact Scientix – scientix@eun.org – www.scientix.org – www.twitter.eu/scientix_eu

AcknowledgementsScientix is supported by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development (FP7). This publication reflects the views only of the authors and does not represent the opinion of the European Commission, and the European Commission is not responsible or liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

PROJECTS IN NANOTECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

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NanoEIS: Nanotechnology Education for Industry and Societyhttp://www.nanoeis.eu/

NanoEIS (2012-2015) investigates the European labour market for people trained in nanotechnology. Based on an assessment of employer needs in nanotechnology (both in industry and non-industry sectors), NanoEIS will provide recommendations for curriculum contents covering nanotechnology as well as best practice strategies to implement them.

The key questions of the project are: How has nanotechnology education been integrated into secondary schools and universities? How was cooperation between different partner institutions implemented? In which ways

have industrial and non-industrial (social) employers been involved?

The outcomes will include novel teaching and assessment tools for secondary schools, including information about possible studies and careers in nanotechnology.

NanoEIS is funded by the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme. The project consortium consists of eight partners and is led by the University of Salzburg.

Quantum Spinoff: Connecting Schools with High-Tech Research and Entrepreneurship

http://www.quantumspinoff.eu/

Quantum Spinoff brings science teachers and their pupils into direct contact with research and entrepreneurship in the high-tech sector. It seeks to link the insights of modern physics and nanotechnology, and the opportunities it offers to high-tech enterprise.

The idea is to show students how an innovative idea can lead to an application in an enterprise. Under the guidance of researchers and entrepreneurs, the participating schools develop a technical application based on research results and convert this into a business plan.

The project activities include teacher training, learning materials, and students’ internships in research labs and enterprises.

Quantum Spinoff is supported under the European Union’s Lifelong Learning Programme. 10 partners from four countries participate in it; the coordinator is Limburg Catholic University College, Belgium.

NanoDiode: Developing Innovative Outreach and Dialogue on responsible nanotechnologies in EU civil society http://www.nanodiode.eu/

The NanoDiode project (2013 - 2016) is a coordinated programme for outreach and dialogue across Europe to support the effective governance of nanotechnologies. Building on previous experience from past nanotechnology projects (both European and national), the goal is to develop new strategies for outreach and dialogue at all levels of science policy, research and development and education.

Education in secondary schools is one of the focus areas of the project. The plan is to review and evaluate nanotechnology education in Europe and identify best practices, which will then be implemented in science classes throughout Europe.

The project is funded by the FP7 programme, but it also looks ahead towards the new Horizon 2020 programme. It will take up the concept of Responsible Research and Innovation and provide feedback to nanotechnology policy debates, including outreach and dialogue.

The NanoDiode project is supported under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme and involves 14 partners from 10 European countries, and is led by IVAM UVA, Netherlands.

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