Day 2 Nano Institute

A good part of the morning was spent learning about optics. We made the same telescopes as were made last week and tested them to see their abilities but then we turned them into microscopes! We did this by taking the tubes apart and then taking the larger tube (with larger lens) and putting the a hand lens on the bottom of the tube (the same side as the lens). So cool...who'd a thought!

We also learned more about scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). In an SEM a beam of electrons are sent down into an object. Some of the electrons are reflected, some are absorbed. The electrons are collected from data points revealing the image. The feature size can reveal details down to 1nm. Magnification to 500,000x that of a light microscope.

We "played" with digital microscopes, looking at things like dandelion seeds, ribbon, ink... pretty much whatever we wanted to look at. We each received a digital microscope for our classrooms! I love the idea that I not only will be able to project the image onto a computer screen but also onto a whiteboard. You can also do screen capture! Classroom applications abound (as do exclamation points)!

We then played, "What's that Gunk?" Where we identified SEM images. At the end of the morning we went to see the SEM that we will be able to borrow for use in our classrooms. Sharon demonstrated it by looking at the image of a dime. I find the idea of using it to be intimidating, so I hope there will be hands-on training available before placing it in our rooms.

The afternoon was spent touring the research facilty at Stinson-Remick Hall. We able to see the cleanroom and learn how it works. We also were able to check out various laboratories housed in the same building. On our way back to Jordan Hall we visited Becky's lab. We'll learn more about her work later this week.