Mar 30 2013
Montana State University will host a free family science night from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in the Strand Union Ballrooms on the MSU campus.
Part of a nationwide celebration called NanoDays, the event will focus on nanotechnology, an emerging field in which scientists and engineers study and manipulate matter at the atomic and molecular scale to develop disease-fighting drugs, alternative energy solutions, ultra-strong sports equipment and many other applications.
The evening will help both kids and adults understand nanoscience in a fun and easy-to-understand format, including its impacts on society. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Visitors can stop in at any time for activities and demonstrations, such as examining hydrogel, extracting DNA, viewing nanogold, and learning about static electricity. Several new activities have been added for 2013.
MSU researchers use nanoscience to develop targeted vaccines, magnetic materials for electronics, and catalysts for producing hydrogen. Nanoscience is an emerging field that blends chemistry, physics, engineering and other areas of science, and is one of the country's top research priorities.
NanoDays is sponsored by Montana NSF EPSCoR and MSU Extended University. For more information, visit http://eu.montana.edu/nanodays