Students enrolled in Introduction to Nanotechnology at West Los Angeles College (WLAC) took advantage of a rare opportunity to zoom into the “small world” of the micro- and nanoscales. Twelve students in today’s class had the unique opportunity to learn how to operate a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a powerful microscope used in many modern labs. The SEM comes with various samples of insects and minerals. However, students are always fascinated when they image their own samples. Students learned how to prepare samples, load them into a special vacuum staging area, and acquire images of ..read more

It was such a pleasure to return to Alhambra High School today to speak to about 100 students about the exciting possibilities of nanotechnology. We spoke to three classrooms of competitive, smart kids studying Computer Science and Anatomy/Physiology. The Computer Science students were especially fascinated to learn about nanoelectronics and quantum computing. Check out some great student quotes below! We are grateful to our sponsor, Hitachi Southern California Regional Community Action Committee (SCRCAC), for supporting our innovative programs in STEM education. We are inspired by their mutu ..read more

As one of the only high schools offering courses in nanotechnology, University High School is a diamond in the rough – and always a pleasure to visit. Currently, nanotechnology classes can only be offered every other year. Today, we inspired about 100 students across three classrooms through our Discover Nanotechnology workshops. Moving forward, we are excited to work alongside the hosting teacher to bring a full nanotechnology pathway to the school – including two year-long courses, offered every year. Thank you, Hitachi Southern California Regional Community Action Committee (SCRCAC), for h ..read more

When we first scheduled our Discover Nanotechnology workshops at The Science Academy STEM Magnet, we only planned to visit one classroom – but by the time the big day arrived, 8 classrooms were eager to participate! To accommodate the ~300 students, we presented today’s workshop in the auditorium of the North Hollywood high school for highly gifted students. It then came as no surprise that the students had so many questions, we almost ran passed the school bell. The host teacher is looking forward to working with Omni Nano to establish a nanotechnology class at The STEM Magnet within the nex ..read more

The High Tech High (HTH) network of schools is infamous throughout Southern California for its high-quality, high-tech curricula. We were proud to join their science teacher cohort meeting today to let fellow educators know about all of our resources for STEM education. There was a lot of interest among HTH teachers, who envision their students tackling applied nanotechnology projects for the benefit of their communities. With outreach to the HTH network in San Diego, Omni Nano aims to strengthen the pipeline of students entering UCSD’s Nanoengineering program ..read more

It’s no secret that schoolchildren love giveaways and prizes. (Don’t we all?) Our super-hydrophobic cloths are no exception – in fact, they’re usually the most popular part of our Discover Nanotechnology workshops! (We commonly hear feedback like, “My favorite part about the workshop was the super-hydrophobic surfaces!”) Best of all, when students can experience nanotechnology in the palm of their hands, they become fascinated with STEM. Think about it: imagine spilling a drop of water onto a cotton cloth. What happens next?  We all expect the cotton to soak up the droplet, right? Wrong! A sp ..read more

The partnership between the Hitachi Southern California Regional Community Action Committee (SCRCAC) and Omni Nano that’s inspiring local students in STEM is now entering its third year. As a company on the bleeding edge of new technologies, Hitachi understands the importance of educating the next-generation workforce. By supporting Omni Nano’s Discover Nanotechnology workshops and other initiatives in STEM education, Hitachi is not only strengthening the community but also training its future employees. With the generous support of Hitachi, we will be able to inspire hundreds more children i ..read more

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is second‐largest school district in the nation, serving over half a million students each year. There has been a district‐approved nanotechnology elective course for a number of years. However, it has been difficult to instruct because there were no suitable educational materials available… until now! Enrolled LAUSD students can simply log into their online Schoology portal to start learning nano now. Our comprehensive package of educational resources (including its customizable syllabus, digital textbook and lecture slides, and hundreds of ass ..read more

West Los Angeles College (Culver City, CA) has offered, this Spring semester, our nanotechnology course for the third time. This semester we expanded the hands-on activities to include a lab with an atomic force microscope (AFM). Although the class meets for just 12 sessions, students have been acquiring specific STEM skills they’ll find useful for the rest of their academic studies and professional carrier ..read more

 A highly motivated group of students have just completed a Summer Nanotechnology Institute using Omni Nano’s digital textbook and standardized curriculum as well as NanoSchoolBox lab experiments. Eleventh-grade students at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Uralsk, Kazakhstan, were in for a special treat this summer. A joint effort between chemistry teacher Mrs. Mary Joy Bejerano and Omni Nano provided students with the unique opportunity to learn the fundamental concepts underlying nanotechnology. In just two weeks, the class of about 20 students completed an i ..read more