Professor Yoke Khin Yap (Physics) held a workshop for ninth and tenth grade students from L’Anse High School on Monday. The theme of the workshop was “Introduction to Nanotechnology” and was part of the outreach and education activities in Yap’s research grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
This workshop was co-organized by Michigan Tech’s GEAR UP, a Pre-College Innovative Outreach Institute, with the assistance of Liz Fujita. The goal of the workshop was to help stimulate the interest of pre-college underrepresented groups (girls, students with disabilities, etc.). A total of 91 students and three teachers participated.
During the workshop, students were introduced to the concept of nanoscale and hands-on experience in making molecular structures. Following lunch, there was a discussion on the potential applications of nanoscale materials. “Since Michigan Tech is the only research-intensive university in the area, we regularly provide educational support to the local communities,” says Yap. This is one of the annual outreach events planned during the three-year NSF research project.