Blog @ NanoVic - Nanotechnology Blog

It’s a problem that’s been identified across the globe- inspiring girls into careers in science and technology. Nanotechnology in particular covers a range of sciences where women have traditionally been under-represented such as the physical and computer sciences. It’s one of the questions that always puzzled me as a science undergraduate- where DO all the women in science go, there appears to be plenty around in undergraduate and at early-career stages, but at the higher levels all the senior researcher, lab head and professorship positions definitely seemed to be filled by more men than women.

So what’s going on? Is the problem in encouraging girls in school to take more of an interest in science, engineering and technology subjects? As someone working in this area, I think that encouraging all students to take a more active interest in science subjects is beneficial (of course, I would think that), but it was interesting at one workshop I went to which was based on computer science for year 9 girls, in which the initial response from a table of girls was that the workshop had been too much ‘for boys’.

I don’t think that the latest doll released over at Mattel- Space Barbie, is the answer. Do girls still even play with Barbie? I thought it was all Bratz these days (and even then only for the under-10s?) Even if they do, I don’t think Barbie is all of a sudden going to make science ‘cool’, though I can’t fault them for at least giving it a try. According to the website Space Barbie is ‘ready to learn about Space Shuttle Systems, life aboard the Space Station, how to sleep and eat in space, and more!’

For some real women in science, there’s a nice website which, though looking very clunky and old-school, does have some nice biographies of women in science in the last 4000 years. And there’s a short video documentary about a 3-year WomenInNano project funded by the EU to encourage women in nanotechnology to act as ambassadors and mentors for the field.

What do you think? Are women under-represented in nanotechnology? Is that a problem that needs addressing? Where do you start to address the problem, at school, university or career level?

Image: from Space Camp Barbie 

Premier John Brumby has launched a new Victorian web-based stem cell educational resource Stem Cell Channel at the Bio2008 international biotechnology conference in San Diego, California. Innovation Minister Gavin Evans has described the site as

“a go-to resource for students and teachers, and covers ethics, the science and scientists, career information, patients, legislation and has an ‘ask-a-scientist’ function”.

The Stem Cell Channel has been developed by the Australia Stem Cell centre with the support of the Victorian Government. It has been cited by Premier Brumby to represent

“a human capital investment in the next generation of scientists”.

The Stem Cell Channel is reminiscent of educational material supported by Nanovic, such as the SHINE secondary school nanotechnology education website. In particular, the new resource is consistent with the views of Francesca Calati and other co-creaters of the SHINE website, in that it offers secondary school students a direct window into the world of modern and current science-in-action. The Australian Stem Cell Centre Chief Executive Officer Professor Stephen Livesey said

“We need to acknowledge and understand that young people now learn in different ways. Technology is driving their style of learning and we need to adapt to this new approach.”

This approach is also consistent with a new nanotechnology educational resource to be launched by the Australian Office of Nanotechnology later in 2008.

Good news that Science Outside the Square in South Australia is re-running the ‘Nanotech for the terrified!’ event. 200 people attended the first event held earlier this year with over 230 more on a waiting list. Such a turnout for an evening of nanoscience is quite an accomplishment and really exciting.

Prof Joe Shapter and Brenton Banham from Flinders University and Kylie Turton from CSIROSEC will provide an entertaining, hands-on exploration of the nano by encouraging people to take part in ‘The Nanotube Challenge’, and make some of the Graffiti Research Lab’s ‘Throwies’. All in the name of discovering more about the possibilities of nanotechnology.

The next ‘Nanotech for the terrified!’ is at The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, 59 Port Road, Adelaide on Wednesday 2 July 2008 from 6.30pm - 8.00pm. This event is in association with the CSIRO Science Education Centre and sponsored by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, Government of South Australia; and The Advertiser. It’s free but registrations are essential. Contact Kate for more information or to make a booking.

I enjoyed Jennifer Rohn’s thoughtful and simple account of having ‘faith in the small stuff’ (i.e. what you can’t see!) as a laboratory scientist in her Mind the Gap blog this morning. Follow this link. Anyone out there in nano research have a similar tale?

Following on from my post on Friday, I am pleased to report that Peter did not embarrass us here at NanoVic and was in fact quite the star on “Can We Help” - I think Peter had more air time that the host Peter Rowsthorn did during the segment. My other half said he was “very impressed” which is a real compliment! It was a light-hearted but informative piece which talked about different nanotechnology applications in both the materials and bio medical fields. It can be difficult to show nanotechnology at times so anything that can help explain and promote its amazing and exciting properties is great.

Not quite sure what Peter’s next starring role will be however, perhaps his motto can be “no job too small”!

I hate to say it but our illustrious leader, Dr Peter Binks, is once again forging ahead with his career in television.  A program which airs on the ABC titled “Can We Help” is featuring a segment on 16 May around “what is nanotechnology”.   Peter Rowsthorn (Brett of Kath & Kim fame) visited The Edge at Eureka Skydeck which showcases switchable glass and then came to our office to take a look at some of our cool nanotechnology displays.

At the time of writing the episode is yet to air so not sure if our illustrious leader has a starring role or just ended up on the cutting room floor.  However, I am sure there will be plenty of comments to be made at our next team meeting!

My daughter Clem and I spent some time recently playing with “magic sand”: super-hydrophobic powder from Educational Innovations.  It is a compelling demonstration, but we hadn’t many good ideas about applications.  Just today, though, I saw that Oak Ridge National laboratory in the US have developed a new super-hydrophobic coating, which can be made cheaply (from powdered glass) and applied over large surfaces.

The thing that attracted me was the description of how the nano-structured material “maintains a microscopic layer of air on surfaces even when submerged in water, resulting in a profound change in the basic water-solid interface”. The inventor, John Simpson likes to refer to this as the “Moses effect” – and I love the name!  He also speculates about how such a layer could significantly reduce the drag experienced by a ship moving through water, potentially saving a lot of energy.

There’s more…  Another feature of this powder is its thermal insulation. Water does not enter the grain pores because the powder grains are superhydrophobic. This results in a dry breathable coating with trapped insulating air throughout. And, because the powder consists almost entirely of porous amorphous silica, it also makes a very good electrical insulator. In addition, since the powder creates a layer of air between the coated substrate and any water on the surface, water-based corrosion of the substrate is greatly reduced or entirely eliminated. 

A new television show was apparently launched in the US in April titled the “Power of Small”.   Whilst I am unable to comment on the TV show being located in Australia, the website makes for interesting listening.  A panel discusses the use of nanotechnology in the areas of Privacy, Health and Environment and small videos look at possible scenarios in each of these areas.  For instance under Privacy: would you be prepared to have a loved one tagged in order to monitor their every move? or under Health: would you like to be able to live to 150? 

There are plenty of other scenarios and they all raise interesting moral and ethical questions for everyone to think about.  Would I really want to live to 150, somehow I don’t think so!

Holidaying in the city of Wollongong last week, I heard about the up-coming Asia Pacific Symposium on Nanobionics. Scheduled for 22-26 June 2008, the symposium aims to bring together clinicians, scientists, engineers and mathematicians in a collaborative environment to discuss the nanotechnology revolution and its impact on nanobionics. The Symposium will be hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, which is headquarted at the University of Wollongong but which has additional nodes at Monash University, St Vincent’s Hospital and The Bionic Ear Institute. The program is diverse and looks very interesting, and includes a plenary presentation by Dr Graeme Clarke, the inventer of the cochlear implant. The bionic eye, one of the hot topics to emerge from the recent 2020 summit in the ACT, will be considered in a presentation by Associate Professor Gregg Suaning (University of New South Wales), entitled ‘Implantable Bionics: Considerations for Restoring Vision to the Blind’ . To learn more about the symposium visit www.electromaterials.edu.au

Test your nano-IQ with this short Nanotechnology Quiz from NanoWerk.

It contains 20 questions with answers and explanations that will inform you about the origins, uses and products of nanotechnology. Well, with my measly 12/20, I was informed anyway…maybe you will already know all of the answers….