Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Brandon Feia Hans Mikelson, CVTC nanoscience department chair, describes the X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy System during NanoDay in Phillips Hall Thursday night. Local colleges coordinated a series of events throughout the day to show the public what nanotechnology has to offer.

What do chocolate gum, scent elimination shirts and self-cleaning windows have in common?

Nanotechnology.

Thursday, about 150 students, faculty and community members learned about nanotechnology and the amount of resources and expertise available in the region at the first ever "NanoDay in the Chippewa Valley."

Jointly coordinated by UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and the Chippewa Valley Technical College, six activities, ranging from open houses, to demonstrations, to lectures, took place throughout the area. These events aimed to educate people about nanotechnology, which controls the structure of matter at a nanometer scale and is being seen more often in today's market.

Douglas Dunham, director of the Materials Science Center in Phillips Hall and associate professor of physics and astronomy, spearheaded the event this year with the help from faculty at the other schools. He said about 160 people from the area attended the various events.

While he said this was a good turnout, he hopes even more will attend in the future, as the goal is to make this an annual event.

"One of the things we've learned is we do need to do a better job at getting the word out," he said, adding that the NanoStem Funding the three schools will receive from the state that will support new faculty hires and equipment, will hopefully increase interest.

Dunham and non-traditional senior physics major Patrese Hoffman presented "An Elementary Introduction to Nanotechnology" to fourth graders from Fall Creek and Osseo-Fairchild Elementary Schools.

"It's always fun with kids. They were really excited," Hoffman said, adding that there were a lot of "Oohs and Ahs" when they used fluorescent slime to illustrate nanoscience.

Continued...

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