Mission and Goals of the Center for Nanoscale Systems at Harvard University

• To provide world-class, centralized facilities and technical support for Harvard faculty research groups as well as the larger community of external users from academia and industry.
• To foster leading-edge, multi-disciplinary research and education in the area of imaging and nanoscale systems, bridging the disciplines of chemistry, physics, engineering, materials science, geology, biology, and medicine.
• To create an environment for collaborative research by providing shared research facilities and meeting places conducive to productive scientific interactions.

Harvard/MIT/UCSB NSEC PHY–06–46094
Museum of Science, Boston
Public Presentations on Nanoscale Science and Engineering

Tim Miller, NSEC Education Associate, delivers a talk on the discovery of carbon nanotubes and their remarkable properties and potential applications at the Museum of Science. Tim gives several presentations each week on the Museum’s Gordon Current Science & Technology stage, and many of his presentations will be “packaged” and distributed by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education (NISE) Network for use by museum educators across the country.

Harvard/MIT/UCSB NSEC PHY–06–46094
Museum of Science, Boston
Nanotech Symposium for Educators

More than 100 teachers attended the 2006 Nanotech Symposium for Educators held at the Museum of Science. George Whitesides provided an overview of nanoscale science and engineering and discussed potential societal impacts. The Symposium was a collaborative effort by our NSEC, the Museum of Science, the Northeastern NSEC, the National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering, the NNIN, SRI, the UW-Madison MRSEC, and the Concord Consortium.

Harvard/MIT/UCSB NSEC PHY–06–46094
Museum of Science, Boston - Carol Lynn Alpert & Larry Bell
New Student Internship Program

In 2007, with the full support of Robert Westervelt, the Museum of Science pioneered a new program that brought NSEC graduate students from the NSEC into the museum for an intensive one-week informal science communication training internship. This practicum culminated in the development of live public presentations given by the students. Here NSEC student Tina Shih (at right) speaks with a group of visitors after the conclusion of her presentation. The internship program is intended to help early career researchers appreciate the importance of engaging public audiences in current research, and to help them develop skills in this area. The training can also help students communicate to fellow researchers across disciplines, a necessity in nanoscale science and engineering.

Carol Lynn Alpert (Museum of Science)
MOS Sci-Tech Today on New England Cable News

*“Impact of Sci-Tech Today Nanotechnology Cable News Segments,” Multimedia Research Report No. 09-002, April 29, 2009, Barbara N. Flagg, Ed.D.; Director, Multimedia Research.
Harvard/MIT/UCSB NSEC PHY–06–46094