Nanoscience education

This page will serve as a cross-roads on pedagogical materials for training nanodetectives, as well as for outside links that we find of value to this end.

Such materials may involve:

(i) empirical observation exercises at home, in the lab, and/or with help from simulators,
(ii) strategies to make it possible for students to help with analytical-support "fire-fights" for industry & university researchers across the region,
(iii) papers about, and tools for, analyzing observational data taken by yourself and others,

and what else?

We might also in the days ahead provide mobile-ready access to reports on:

- microwave Bragg-scattering zone-axis-pattern analysis,
- RGB analysis of wedge angles around a perforation in silicon,
- Geometry vs. paint models of lattice-fringe visibility for FCC particles,
- Efficient lattice-image detection of icosahedral twins,
- Lattice-image estimates of nanoparticle fraction-crystalline,
- Fast periodicity-analysis with 4-spots and ImageJ,
- Zero-loss/deflection map analysis,
- Digital darkfield analysis of nanoparticle defects,
- Lattice-fringe signatures of epitaxy on nanotubes,
- Nanoworld webquests with peer-review,
- Digital darkfield tableaus,

and what else?

- For instance, empirical observation exercises linked here might include:Zoomify exploration of huge electron microscope fields of view,
- strong-phase-object focus & astigmatism exercises,
- three dimensional electron microscope specimen simulations,
- nanoscale science and electron diffraction puzzlers using Jmol,
- mobile-friendly javascript/HTML5 electron-optical explorations,

and what else?

Some related references:

1. P. Fraundorf and N. Pongkrapan (2004) "Students as nanodetectives in a variety of introductory science classes", Microscopy and Microanalysis 10:S2, 1564-1565 (pdf).
2. Rebecca Cook, "Students as nano-detectives", The Science Teacher (December 2006) abstract.
3. P. Fraundorf and Keith Stine (2006) "Nanoworld webquests with peer review", Microscopy and Microanalysis 12:S2, 1700-1701 (link).
4. P. Fraundorf and Jingyue Liu (2008) "Widening the Impact: Informal, Introductory and Industry Nanochallenges", Chapter 10 in Nanoscale Science and Engineering Education (ed. Aldrin E. Sweeney and Sudipta Seal, American Scientific Publishers, Stevenson Ranch CA). (link)

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