Being a nanoscientist for one day

Girls' Day at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung

March 19, 2015

Recent developments in nanotechnology are influencing our everyday life. Diverse objects like mobile phones or sun blocker contain particles in nanometre size. One nanometre being 50,000 times thinner than a human hair!

How can one visualize such small particles? Light microscopy is not able to see such tiny particles. A more powerful method to visualize nanoparticles is the electron microscopy.

On 23 April – the German nationwide Girls’ Day – girls get the chance to be nanoscientists for one day at the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung (MPIE). The girls will learn basic knowledge on operating an electron microscope. They will examine the structure of different materials and thus learn from nature.

In nature one can find nanostructures that are perfectly adapted to the surrounding or to necessary properties. Nanoscience is using such characteristics in order to develop better materials or structure for applications like solar cells.

At the Girls’ Day companies, universities and different organizations invite female pupils once per year for one day. The girls learn about possible trainings and courses of study in fields usually dominated by men like IT, craft, natural sciences and engineering. Apart from that they also get the chance to meet female managers in industry or politics.

The MPIE is booked up for the Girls’ Day 2015.

More information (German only): www.girls-day.de.

Go to Editor View