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Summer institute brings nanoscience to teachers
The professional development program hosted by nano@stanford helps middle school teachers bring a cutting-edge field to students at a critical age for learning to see themselves as scientists.
Crafting holographic chocolate, printing with the power of the sun, and seeing behind the scenes of cutting-edge research at the scale of one-billionth of a meter, educators participating in the Nanoscience Summer Institute for Middle School Teachers (NanoSIMST) got to play the role of students, for a change.
Teachers hailed from the Bay Area and Southern California – one had even come all the way from Arkansas – for the professional development program. NanoSIMST, run by nano@stanford, is designed to connect middle school teachers with activities, skills, and knowledge about science at the scale of molecules and atoms so they can incorporate it into their curriculum. NanoSIMST also prioritizes teachers from Title I schools, which are low-income schools with low-income student populations that receive federal funding to improve academic achievement.
Daniella Duran, once a high school teacher and now the director of education and outreach for nano@stanford, said, “There’s a gap in professional development for middle school teachers. But these teachers are in a special place – they can teach their students early on about these amazing sciences and help them develop a picture of themselves as a scientist, engineer, or technician.”
Technology at a small scale
nano@stanford comprises four open-access facilities that cover nanofabrication, microchemical analysis, isotope, and geochemical measurement and analysis – used in dating rocks, minerals, and other materials – with shared equipment, and expert staff training and guidance. It’s one of 16 nano facilities that are open-access and part of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure, which is funded by the National Science Foundation through a 10-year grant.
Debbie Senesky, the site investigator and principal researcher on the nano@stanford project, highlighted the importance of nanoscience at the university. “It’s not just about focusing on research – we also have bigger impacts on entrepreneurs, start-ups, community colleges, and other educators who can use these facilities,” said Senesky, who is also an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics and of electrical engineering. “We’re helping to train the next generation of people who can be a workforce in the nanotechnology and semiconductor industry.”
These teachers are in a special place – they can teach their students early on about these amazing sciences and help them develop a picture of themselves as a scientist, engineer, or technician.”
Daniella Duran
Director of Education and Outreach
for nano@stanford
The program also supports education and outreach, including through NanoSIMST, which uniquely reaches out to middle school teachers due to the STEM education outcomes that occur at that age. According to a 2009 report by the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Initiative, even among teens who were interested in and felt academically prepared in their STEM studies, “nearly two-thirds of teens indicated that they may be discouraged from pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics because they do not know anyone who works in these fields (31%) or understand what people in these fields do (28%).”
Over the course of four days in the summer, NanoSIMST provides teachers with an understanding of extremely small science and technology: they go through tours of the nano facilities, speak with scientists, perform experiments that can be conducted in the classroom, and learn about careers in nanotechnology and the semiconductor industry.
Tara Hodge, the teacher who flew all the way from Arkansas, was thrilled about bringing what she learned back with her. “I’m not a good virtual learner, honestly. That’s why I came here. And I’m really excited to learn about different hands-on activities. Anything I can get excited about, I know I can get my students excited about.”
A teacher from the Oakland Unified School District, Thuon Chen, connected several other teachers from OUSD to attend NanoSIMST as a first-time group. He emphasized that young kids, especially in middle school, have a unique way of approaching new technologies. “Kids have this sense where they’re always pushing things and coming up with completely new uses, so introducing them to a new technology can give them a lot to work with.”
Jillian Anderson, who works with the Nano Heat Group as a mechanical engineer, was particularly interested in getting involved with outreach – not just because it helps her get out of the lab. Her mom was a science teacher and that helped her understand the value of getting students interested in science. Intern Sanya Gowda is in her first year with nano@stanford and comes from Folsom Lake Community College. She said, “Working in a lab and being exposed to this research has made me more sure about doing this in the future.”
Jisel Ruiz, who is in her final year at SFSU after transferring from Mission College, spoke about the importance of exposing students to nanotechnology. “When I first joined, I didn’t know anything about nano, so I learned everything at the lab,” she said. “The outreach program is especially important for kids from lower-income communities. It shows that there are different options that you might not be exposed to. Even if you’re local to the area, you might not know that these are opportunities unless someone shows you what there is out there.”
Students can see themselves as scientists
Though nanotechnology focuses on a small scale, the impact of teaching it in this context is huge. By targeting and offering professional development for middle school teachers at Title I schools, NanoSIMST aims to educate these students at earlier ages about nano and the possible career opportunities, especially in the area.
One key educator for the program is Kiruthika Paulvannan, a seventh and eighth grade teacher in Cupertino who previously participated in NANOSIMST in 2019. She spoke about how she incorporated nano into existing curriculum for eighth graders by using activities she’s learned from NanoSIMST, like dipping nail polish in water to demonstrate how small particles interact with light and water – both a creative and scientific approach. “It’s extremely valuable to have a workshop focused on nanotechnology in the Bay Area because a lot of kids can have parents in the industry or can relate through their technology like phones or tablets.”
Kids have this sense where they’re always pushing things and coming up with completely new uses, so introducing them to a new technology can give them a lot to work with.”
Thuon Chen, Oakland Unified School District teacher
Many of the teachers who attended this year’s NanoSIMST came from schools that hadn’t had a science program, like Nicole Solís, who teaches in Emeryville at a school that lacked a science teacher for two years. Krista Keilly, a first-generation teacher who teaches at the only Title I school in Fremont, seeks to make these topics less intimidating for her students and to help them engage in different ways, like with hands-on projects, which has been an emphasis throughout NanoSIMST’s existence.
“I want my students to figure out things, to be able to fail, but still feel success – that’s what scientists do to figure out new things,” said Debra Locke, a special education teacher at Piedmont in San Jose.
Monica Sanchez, who teaches at Alum Rock, agreed, and said, “I want my students, especially marginalized students, to see themselves as scientists. That’s why I came to this program.”
“I used to be the only woman – and the only brown woman – in the room when it came to engineering,” said Solís. “I’m really glad it’s changed so much and I want to support that.”
Beyond nanotechnology, the teachers engaged in professional development around pedagogy. One thing that teachers all agreed on: they have a responsibility to their students to show them they have a place in the future of science and technology. Especially for teachers at Title I schools, it was clear they cared about making sure their students knew that their perspective had value in STEM fields.
“We need all these different perspectives, not just in engineering, but in the world,” Keilly added. “From women to nonbinary genders, different ethnicities, and races – this world is almost always built for one kind of person. But these different perspectives can help us build a new world.”
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