Nominations are now open for the 2019 RTNN Awards. These awards serve to recognize researchers conducting collaborative research across the network as well as students who have devoted their time and energy to education and outreach activities. All nominations are due by Friday, September 27th. Please contact rtnanonetwork@ncsu.edu with any questions. Visit the RTNN Awards Website for more details.
The RTNN will return to the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC on Saturday, August 17th from 10 am – 4 pm.
We will investigate things you encounter every day through a different lens! Join us as we take an up-close look at everything from bugs to Band-Aids through a Scanning Electron Microscope! Can you guess what you’re viewing from structures nanometers small?
Learn more about our previous event at the museum here.
The RTNN hosted 11 educators this summer from Durham, Johnston, Wake, and Chatham Counties. The educators worked in small teams in research labs at NC State, Duke, and UNC as well as a start-up company, Smart Material Solutions. During their time in the program, educators were exposed to and participated in research in cutting-edge laboratories. They also had the opportunity to utilize multiple nanotechnology techniques and tools in RTNN facilities including atomic layer deposition, photolithography, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Projects ranged from the creation and analysis of thin films to the development of new filter materials. Educators also wrote innovative lesson plans linked to their research to bring back to their home institutions. The program culminated in a poster session where teachers shared their summer work and how they will use their experiences in their classroom.
For more information about the RTNN’s RET Site, Atomic Scale Design and Engineering, visit the program website. Information and application instructions for next year’s program will be available in early 2020.
Our congratulations go out to Holly Leddy for winning a national award from the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) in the category of Education and Outreach.
Holly is a Research and Development Engineer at Duke’s Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility. Holly was recognized for the vital role she plays in planning and implementing the RTNN’s education and outreach programs. Each year she leads Girls STEM Day @ Duke where girls participate in hands-on science and engineering activities. The event aims to show the girls and their parents that a career in STEM is within their grasp. The huge success of this event was in large part due to Holly’s leadership and tireless hours of hard work.
Keep up the good work!
To celebrate Nanomonth at the Museum of Life and Science, the RTNN brought its expertise as well as a set of light microscopes and a portable desktop scanning electron microscope to The Lab. This venue provides a unique space for hands-on science experiences. Museum visitors learned the differences between the two types of microscopes and examined a variety of samples on each tool. Over 130 people of all ages stopped by to view electronic components found in their phones and tablets and the structures that give Morpho butterfly wings their brilliant blue color. During the NC Science Festival we will be at the Chapel Hill Public Library on April 13th from 1-3 pm with these microscopes and other nanotechnology hands-on activities.