Microscopy Camp 2008

Check out PERSPECTIVES: POWERS OF TEN

 

We all had a marvelous time at Micrsocopy Camp 2008!

What are crystals made of? What’s the difference between salt and sugar crystals? Can we see atoms? What is the current model of atomic structure? What equipment is used to image objects at atomic resolution? How can we teach students about the particulate nature of matter? How small is nano? How is nanotechnology important to me and people close to me?


Profs. Penn (Chemistry) and Flynn (Science Education) have developed and implemented Microscopy Camp, and the above is just a small sampling of the questions they address at Microscopy Camp

Microscopy Camp 2008 (July 14–18, 2008) was funded through the Department of Education and served middle school and high school science teachers. Nineteen teachers from around Minnesota and Wisconsin attended MC 2008.

We did loads of fun and educational activities, including synthesize nanoparticles, blow stuff up (e.g., hydrogen filled balloons), simulate how nanoparticles can be used in the treatment of cancer, build models of viruses and molecules and crystals, and MORE! Here are some fun images from MC 2008.

We made ferrofluid - here, one teacher is performing the synthesis.

And here is an image of her product - with a magnet held below the pool of ferrofluid.

Teachers made models of molecules using all sorts of things, including marshmellows.

Teachers got to use the Scanning Electron Microscopy to image tiny things like this pollen grain!

Here, a teacher is imaging gold nanoparticles using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The nanoparticles are only 10-15 nm in diameter!

Atomic-structure image of a GOLD nanoparticles. The scale bar is 5 nm long in this image. These particles are all smaller than 10 nm in diameter! How big is one nanometer? That's one billionth of one meter. This image was collected using the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy located at the Institute of Technology's Characterization Facility. To see information about the microscope, CLICK HERE!

 

This is a simulation of a grain elevator explosion using lycopodium powder.

Funds for this project were provided by a grant from the federal Teacher Quality Program of the No Child Left Behind Act administered by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. This project was financed by $ 44,223 in federal funds and $8,190 from nonfederal sources.