Discovery Park's Birck Nanotechnology Center hosting annual NanoDays event

On April 5-7, the Birck Nanotechnology Center in Discovery Park will host its annual NanoDays event. NanoDays is a nationwide, annual celebration that features educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering and their effect on society. 

NanoDays events are organized by participants in the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network and are hosted by science museums, research centers and universities. “The Birck Nanotechnology Center has had the privilege of hosting NanoDays for eight consecutive years, thereby inspiring young minds to develop an interest and fascination with science and engineering,” says Ron Reger, NanoDays organizer and engineering manager at the Birck Nanotechnology Center. 

Festivities kicked off Wednesday night with an evening for the Girl Scouts and continue today and Friday (April 6-7) for K-12 students from a variety of area schools with the hope that the activities will inspire students to become future scientists.

This year, NanoDays will host NASA astronaut Mary Cleave, who will kick off the celebration on this morning and will interact with students and visitors and answer questions. NanoDays also will feature activities ranging from electroplating and liquid crystals to gummy capsules and nano ice cream. A full list of activities and their descriptions can be found online.

Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, executive director and chief scientist of Discovery Park, said, “NanoDays at Discovery Park continues to be a very successful event and we are thrilled to be a part of engaging and opening young minds to the possibilities of nanotechnology.”

Registration is required to attend. For more information and details about the event, visit the NanoDays webpage. Those interested in learning more about NanoDays may contact Jamie Turner, administrative assistant to the director of Birck, at jjturner@purdue.edu. NanoDays is part of a collective effort across campus and is made possible by many student, staff and faculty volunteers and participants. 

Writer: Amy Schlueter, 765-496-7823, aschlue@purdue.edu
Source: Ron Reger, 765-494-6667, rreger@purdue.edu