In Spring 2011, Montana EPSCoR helped host NanoDays, a nationwide celebration of nanoscale science and engineering. Audiences ranged from preschoolers to fifth graders to lifelong learners.

1. Montana NSF EPSCoR brings
NANO to MSU For four years, Montana State University has been
a core partner of NISENet, the Nanoscale Informal
Science Education Network. This NSF-funded project
seeks to engage and educate the public about nanoscale
science and engineering.
Each spring, institutions throughout the country host
NanoDays events. At MSU, these events are developed
and implemented by Montana NSF EPSCoR, MSU Ex-
tended University and other partners. In 2011, MSU’s
events took place from March 24 through April 18, and
included outreach to K-12 teachers, pre-school children,
life-long learners and others. Partners ranged from
IEEE to a local nanotechnology company, and more
than 40 MSU students and faculty volunteered.
NanoDays events were covered heavily by local media
and directly reached more than 500 people. At MSU’s
largest event, the April 11 public NanoDays, 100% of
attendees who completed an evaluation said the event
was educational and fun, and 99% said they had a
better understanding of nanoscience and are likely to
attend other science events at MSU.
For information, visit http://eu.montana.edu/nanodays
NanoDays for Preschoolers. Student volunteers from Headwaters
Academy helped host NanoDays at MSU’s Child Development
Center, where more than 40 children aged 3, 4 and 5 learned
about measurement, the “mysterious” properties of nano-
engineered products, and the tools that nanoscientists use.
Fifth grade visit. Fifth grade students
from Irving Elementary School and
Whittier Elementary School in Bozeman
visited the MSU campus for NanoDays.
More than 175 students and teachers
interacted with MSU students and faculty
while learning about nanotechnology.
The Biggest Event for the Smallest Science!
Grant No. 0940143

2. NanoDays for the public. More than 200
members of the public visited the MSU
campus for NanoDays on Monday evening,
April 11. MSU students and faculty hosted
two dozen hands-on activity booths.
Below, Jon Nagy of Bozeman’s NanoValent
Pharmaceuticals explains how nanoscience can
help improve the drug-delivery process.
Rural Montana fourth-graders.
Students from Hardin, Montana and
the Crow Reservation, who were on Lifelong learning. The Wonderlust lifelong learning
campus for a hands-on science day organization hosted a talk by Dr. Yves Idzerda of Nanotechno
How will it imlogy in society:
sponsored by Big Sky Institute, took MSU’s Physics Department on April 18. Idzerda A free public Wo
pact YOUR
nderlust “Side Trip life?
” talk
part in NanoDays activities, including discussed nanotechnology in society. The talk was co-
discovering how an inkjet printer works sponsored by Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.
and testing the hydrophobic properties
of miniature “nano-pants.”
NanoDays TM
The Bigges
t Eve
nt
Monday, April Smallestthe
for
18 • 3 to 5pm Science!
Pilgrim Congre
gational Church
Free and open 2118 S. Third
to the public.
No scientific bac
kground needed
Sponsored by .
University and Wonderlust, Montana Stat
Bozeman Deacon e
ess Hospital
WONDERLUST
Journeys for the Mind
NanoDays Sponsors and Partners
MSU Extended University
Montana NSF EPSCoR
Center for Bio-Inspired Nanomaterials
Department of Chemistry
Department of Computer Science
Department of Physics
Headwaters Academy
Honors Student Forum
IEEE
NanoValent Pharmaceuticals
Tau Beta Pi
Undergraduate Chemistry Society Nano Kits for teachers. K-12 teachers and informal educators throughout
and many other MSU students, staff and faculty! Montana applied for NanoDays classroom kits. More than 20 kits were
sent to groups ranging from a three-student classroom in Fairfield to a 4-H
leader in Eureka to high school teachers in Helena and Billings.
For more information about NanoDays at MSU,
visit http://eu.montana.edu/NanoDays
Center for Bio-Inspired Nanomaterials