Nanoscience Education, Workforce Training, and K-12 Resources (PDF)

The nanotech revolution waits for no man, woman...or child. To revitalize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) performance, the U.S. educational system requires a practical strategy to better educate students about nanoscale science and engineering research. This is particularly important in grades K-12, the effective gestation point for future ideas and information.

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The first book of its kind, Nanoscience Education, Workforce Training, and K-12 Resources promotes nano-awareness in both the public and private sectors, presenting an overview of the current obstacles that must be overcome within the complex U.S. educational system before any reform is possible. It's a race against time-and other countries-and the fear is that U.S. students could lag behind for decades, with ineffective teaching and learning methods handicapping their ability to compete globally.

Focusing on the application of new knowledge, this concise and highly readable book explores the transdisciplinary nature of nanoscience and its societal impact, also addressing workforce training and risk management. Illustrating the historical perspective of the complexity of K-12 education communities, it defines nanotechnology and evaluates pertinent global and national landscapes, presenting examples of successful change within them.

This book is composed of four sections:

Foundations-addresses the national educational matrix, exploring the scientific and social implications associated with the delay in adopting nanoscience education in public schools

Teaching Nanotechnology-discusses the critical process of teaching K-12 students the skills to understand and evaluate emerging technologies they will encounter

Nanoscience Resources and Programs-provides a wide overview of the resources offered by funded outreach programs from universities with nanoscience centers

Framework Applied-analyzes the structure of national government programs and skill level recommendations for nanoeducation from the National Nanotechnology Initiatives

This book offers plans of action and links to sustainable (largely free) development tools to help K-12 students acquire the skills to understand and evaluate emerging technologies. Promoting a holistic teaching approach that encompasses all aspects of science, the authors strive to help readers implement change so that decisions about resources and learning are no longer made "from the top down" by policymakers, but rather "from the bottom up" by teachers, parents, and students at the local level.

Akhlesh Lakhtakia, one of the contributors to this volume, was recently featured on CNN in a discussion on solar energy.