Welcome to Generation NANO

Our mission

Generation NANO outreach project, led by the Network for Computational Nanotechnology (NCN), has the mission to inspire and educate the next generation of nanoscientists, by engaging some of the most talented mid school students in sets of interactive online activities, each conveying the underlying concepts of nanotechnology and nanoscience. While our primary target audience are 12-14-year-olds, we also seek to equip educators with tools, techniques and resources to reach the educational goals.

Your involvement is crucial!

Generation NANO is being developed by NCN with support of the Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, which provides its facilities and advisory help. We have an established collaboration with National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering (NCLT) group and Purdue Nanotechnology Student Advisory Council (NSAC), as well as individual faculty members, who kindly agreed to help. See a list of current contributors in the Credits & References section.

We are in need of content experts to collaborate on development of individual learning modules. Any input, any involvement is greatly appreciated. If you feel like you have the neccessary expertise, and want to be part of this exciting educational project for kids, please speak out!

Get involved

Gen NANO concept

An activity from the first mission on nanoscale In our effort to create an exciting learning experience for kids and encourage exploration, we came up with a story-based design for the website. The story, that links together all activities on the site, takes place in the Birck Nanotechnology Center, which, according to the site scenario, is announcing a new confidential program for recruiting young scientists that will help doing research. Those up to the challenge will go through a specialized training and be honored with an award from the Birck Center on successful completion of all missions.

Content outline

Our beta release features a module on size and scale. The topics of future modules will include:

properties of matter
particulate nature of matter
tools
modeling, and the notion of computational science
technology and society
dominant forces
self-assembly, etc.

Along with new interactive learning modules, the site will host some adapted simulation tools and resources for K-12 teachers from the nanoHUB.org.

Technology

The core of the site is based on Adobe Flash technology, that works best for this graphics/video/animation- heavy project. To assure assessibility and best interactive experience, please get the latest Flash plug-in.