Boston Museum of Science

A Very Collaborative Relationship: CHN and the Museum of Science, Boston

NSF Grant Number: EEC-0425826
PI(s): C. L. Alpert
Institutions: Museum of Science Boston

The Museum of Science, Boston, (MOS) develops innovative science communication strategies for enhancing public understanding of research in nanoscale science and engineering, engaging a broad range of audiences at the Museum of Science and elsewhere. Activities developed for the NSF NSEC – the Center for High-rate Nanomanufacturing (CHN) included live presentations, cable casts, podcasts, and an experiment with YouTube.com. The MOS collaboration has also assisted with a teacher conference and provided REU participants with training in communicating with the general public.

The collaboration also enables CHN to participate in NISE Network activities. This participating has included attendance of CHN faculty at NISE annual meetings, CHN faculty “experts” for NISE Forums, and inclusion of four CHN graduate students in the Nanoscale Science and Outreach (NEO) program from Northeastern University (NEU) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML).

This partnership has led to other joint collaborations. MOS science educator Lisa Regalla assisted with the notebook pages for CHN’s computer game Geckoman! and is helping to map Geckoman! to curriculum frameworks. She also recruited several CHN faculty and graduate students to demonstrate Geckoman! and CHN’s favorite K12 outreach activities for the Museum of Science’s NanoDays events. Lisa and CHN researchers have shared and collaboratively improved outreach activities. For example, Lisa modified a carbon nanotube balloon activity for the 2007 Nanotech Symposium; CHN’s Carol Barry (UML) and graduate teaching assistant/balloon master Matt Tomaszewski changed the construction plan again for an introductory engineering course; and Matt will assist with the activity for MOS’s NanoDays. Finally, UML plastics engineers are creating new hand-outs to explain the concept of nanoscale; Lisa Regalla has already approved the freshmen class’s preliminary designs.