• Queensland Ms Yunyi Wong (University of Queensland) ARCNN Young <strong>Nanotechnology</strong> Ambassador <strong>2007</strong> <strong>Report</strong> Yunyi Wong Eight primary schools in Mount Isa were visited during 18 th -20 th September as part of the ARCNN Young <strong>Nanotechnology</strong> Ambassador Program. <strong>The</strong>se visits were conducted with Carl Urbani, one of the six ATSE Young Science Ambassadors for <strong>2007</strong>. Specific primary schools were chosen to expose students to science. In particular nanotechnology was to be taught to students at a young age in hope to inspire them to take up science in high school and beyond. <strong>The</strong> schools visited were Sunset State School (Years 4 & 5), Happy Valley State School (Years 4 to 7), Dajarra State School (Years 4 to 7) and Mount Isa Central State School (Years 6 & 7), Townview State School (Years 6 & 7) and School of the Air (Year 7), Barkly Highway State School (Year 7) and Healy State School (Year 7). All the schools are in Mount Isa, with the exception of Dajarra State School which is 150 km south of Mount Isa. <strong>The</strong> visit consisted of a presentation on what is science, including its implications and application to daily lives. <strong>The</strong>re was also an introduction of nanotechnology, with an emphasis of why the nano domain is so fascinating. <strong>The</strong> presentation was divided into sections to make the information more enjoyable. This consisted of interactive demonstrations that helped reinforce the underlying science/ nanotechnology concept. Both the presentations and demonstrations were structured using items that students relate to. <strong>The</strong> concept of nano was discussed using images of everyday items, like scourer pads and ball point pen tips, that have been magnified to reveal the details that can only be seen in the nanoscale. Various magnified images of an <strong>Australian</strong> native bee was also used to enable the students to see in the nanoscale, the specialised adaptations these bees use to pollinate plants and find flowers. <strong>The</strong> demonstrations included visualisation of the DNA extracted from strawberries. Furthermore, a colour chromatography was used to illustrate the principle of the separation technique employed by DNA fingerprinting. Both teachers and students were very enthusiastic and asked thought-provoking questions. <strong>The</strong> program was carried out mostly as planned in all schools, except at School of the Air due to the unique nature of the school. School of the Air, Mount Isa, is one of the seven distance education schools in Queensland. <strong>The</strong> school itself is physically located in Mount Isa, but lessons are conducted through teleconferencing to their students as most of them live on stations in a 450 km radius from Mount Isa. At School of the Air, a ‘chat with scientists’ session was conducted with the students during their science lesson. It was beneficial to conduct the session with Carl Urbani, as the broad range of scientists from different disciplines could provide a broader science perspective to the students. One particular visit that left a lasting impression was Dajarra State School. <strong>The</strong> school population comprised of 36 students, with the upper primary years 4-7 made up of a single class of 12 students. <strong>The</strong>y have fewer resources available to them as compared to the other schools visited, but their students’ enthusiasm for learning was unparallel. Positive feedback was received from all schools, with comments that the presentation and especially the demonstrations were fun, interesting, and helpful in introducing students to science and nanotechnology. <strong>The</strong> students loved the interactive nature of the demonstrations where they could get their hands ‘dirty’ and perform real experiments. After the visit, follow-up emails were sent to schools to thank them for the chance to interact with their students. Protocols for several science experiments were also provided to the teachers, as per requests to be included in their science curriculum the following semester. All schools were keen to have the future Ambassadors visit. 65
Overall, this invaluable opportunity provided by the ARCNN to reach out to schools, especially those that were less funded and resourced, enabled students to become interested in science. This was a rewarding and personally satisfying experience not only for the students, but also for Carl and myself. Figure 1: Schools Visited at Mount Isa 66
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