Teachers know hands-on instruction helps engage students in a way books simply can’t. Getting that involved mental activity going was part of the goal at the HVCC TEC-SMART campus in Malta on Thursday, Oct. 4, when area elementary schools brought students to an Educational and Interactive Nanotechnology day.
The event provided younger kids with the chance to see what nanoscience is all about. It is a subject usually introduced in the middle or high school.
“As a region, we’re trying to educate everyone about these types of industries in the clean technologies and what’s happening here with our course development. We’re trying to get people interested at a younger level,” said Stuart Williams, a spokesman for the Ballston Spa Central School District.
It was clear the young learners were interested, as they rushed to stations involving “magic sand” that stay dry in water, ultraviolet beads, clean room gowns and polymer worms. Hands were raised for questions, and exclamations of “wow” and “cool” were constant.
The endeavor was a joint effort between Hudson Valley Community College, NEATEC (Northeast Advanced Technological Education Center), the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany and NYSERDA and Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute.
“It’s all about partnerships,” said Williams. “It’s the business industry and working with the colleges, that’s why we’re collaborating together.”
At the Ballston Spa Central School District, about 75 students attend special classes in nanoscience.
Hundreds of students in grades three through five from a dozen school districts and teachers from more than 20 districts spanning Albany City Schools to New Lebanon attended the event. Even with the high participation, there were more than 600 students left on a waiting list.
Teachers accompanying students were given information on how to integrate the day’s activities into lesson plans in the classroom. A table on professional development was available to the teachers, as was information about kits with materials from the various demonstrations of the day for them to use for lessons at no cost. Teachers can check out the kits via a library-type system provided by NEATEC.
Diane Irwin, coordinator of the science department at Ballston Spa schools said one of the key concepts within the elementary school science curriculum is matter and its different properties. The magic sand activity was tailored to highlight that.
“We can kind of link it because you have playground sand and you have magic sand – well, why aren’t they acting the same way?” she said. “And so you can kind of talk about well, the atoms are arranged differently.”
She added the kids learn a lot through the activities, including how to think using probing, scientific questions.
“They love doing all kinds of investigations and predictions and wonder,” Irwin said.
At another station, students got to try on clean room gowns.
“The number one area of concern with any clean room is contamination. … Even one dust particle on a (silicon) wafer destroys it,” said Ricky Thibodeau, associate director of NEATEC.
Steve Stewart, an instructional support technician for the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany, headed up the gowning activity and called Albany a “hot spot” for nanoscience. He also said in the next decade, jobs in the industry are expected to top two million.
“We’re in partnerships with many colleges and high schools. … This outreach is to help stimulate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) technology – to get the kids back interested in science and seeing how easy it is. We get them as young as we can and show them simple science and how that becomes complex,” said Stewart.
HVCC’s part, aside from hosting the day, was to get students excited about nanotechnology. The college’s TEC-SMART campus focuses on career education in technology-driven industries.
Penny Hill, the associate dean at TEC-SMART, said the level of interest the students were exhibiting at the activities day was encouraging. She said the event has been in planning since the early summer.
“My role … is to enjoy the interactions that I see with people who are in the field,” said Hill.
Once outside, many of the kids were anxious to show and tell Thibodeau their newly made bracelets from a UV Beads Lesson, who in turn told them if the day were sunny, their bracelets would have been brighter. One could almost see the students themselves lighting up with understanding.