Students

Microfabrication technology experiences, March 2005. 45 middle school students (Forsythe Middle School, Ann Arbor, MI) participated in clean room activities on micro/nano fabrication technology:

  • 56% girls, 4% minority students
  • Students were divided in small groups and performed photolithography, etching and metal deposition steps.
  • Each student left with one patterned, personalized wafer.

Microelectronics and Nanotechnology experiences, April-May 2005. 40 high school students (Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit, MI - mostly attended by minority students) and 20 middle school students (Forsythe Middle School, Ann Arbor, MI) participated in several activities:

  • 41% girls, 56% minority students
  • Microfabrication technology in the clean room: students were divided in small groups and performed photolithography, etching and metal deposition steps.
  • Introduction to nanotechnology in classrooms: hands-on experiences on size and scale, Lego models of photolithographic process, clean room gowning race.
  • Each student left with one patterned, personalized wafer.

Liquid nitrogen experiments conducted at Forsythe Middle School, Ann Arbor, MI.

  • MNF staff provided directions and guidance on how to handle liquid nitrogen (safety precautions, equipment and tools needed) and supplied / coordinated delivery of adequate quantity of liquid nitrogen and assisted teachers in developing experiments.
  • Only one teacher was involved initially but experiments were extremely popular and several other teachers decided to develop and conduct new experiments afterwards.
  • Discussion about physical properties of liquid nitrogen.
  • Freezing everyday objects: a rose shatters easily, a raw egg appears hard boiled but melts, a banana can be used to hammer a nail, eating a frozen graham cracker results in large amounts of water vapor being released by nose/mouth.
  • Observing expansion during liquid-gas transition: a can of Pringles pops open.
  • Observing effect on a superconductor (magnetic levitation by a superconductor at low temperature)
  • Observing effect on an expansion ball and ring (expansion and contraction of metal).

Collaboration with NSF WIMS ERC, June-August 2005. 100 high school students participating in several summer programs (DAPCEP Detroit-Area Pre-College Engineering Program, WIMS for teens and Women in Engineering) were also able to go in the clean room and learn briefly about micro/nano fabrication.