Sci-Quest to celebrate NanoDays 2014 on April 5

Sci-Quest will host NanoDays on April 5. (CONTRIBUTED)

HUNTSVILLE – Sci-Quest Hands-on Science Center will host NanoDays, a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering.

As an example, a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Nanotechnology is revolutionizing research and development in medicine, computing, new materials, food, energy and other areas.

NanoDays activities on April 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will explore capillary action and non-Newtonian fluids.

“Visitors will investigate new nano products and materials and imagine what society might be like if we all wore invisibility cloaks,” marketing manager Jennifer Deermer said.

Children also will engage in a “Robots & People” program and use electricity to make a nickel coin look like a penny.

“Sci-Quest’s NanoDays event will combine fun hands-on activities with presentations on current research,” Deermer said. Several activities will demonstrate the unexpected properties at the nanoscale, tools and nano materials.

Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net) organizes NanoDays. This community-based event reaches science museums, research centers and universities from Puerto Rico to Alaska.

The network involves a national community of researchers and informal science educators dedicated to fostering public awareness of this field.

“Nano will affect our economy, environment and personal lives,” Deermer said. “Some scientists think future nanotechnologies and materials could transform our lives as much as cars, the personal computer or the Internet.”

NanoDays™ is trademarked by North Carolina State University and used by the NISE Network with permission.

SciQuest’s address is 1435 Paramount Drive. For more information, call 256-837-0606 or visit sci-quest.org.

To download a digital NanoDays kit, visit nisenet.org/nanodays. For more information, visit whatisnano.org.