Concord, NH - This year from March 24 through April 1, the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center will be celebrating Nano Days, the largest event for the smallest of sciences, with activities for all ages that explore nanoscience.

Nano Days is a nationwide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering. Nano Days is organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), and takes place nationally from March 24-April 1, 2012. This community-based event is the largest public outreach effort in nanoscale informal science education and involves science museums, research centers, and universities from Puerto Rico to Alaska. A range of exciting Nano Days programs demonstrate the special and unexpected properties found at the nanoscale, examine tools used by nanoscientists, showcase nano materials with spectacular promise, and invite discussion of technology and society.

The local community can experience many of these activities firsthand. Visitors will make some of their own nanomaterials using scotch-tape, investigate super thin materials used in solar cell technology, and change the color of a butterfly's wings! Other activities include an I Spy Nano game, taking a look at real nano gold, investigating the properties of sunblock, and discovering the reason for the rainbow of colors produced by thin film.

At the nanoscale the scale of atoms and molecules many common materials exhibit unusual properties. Our ability to manipulate matter at this size enables innovations that weren't possible before. Nanotechnology is revolutionizing research and development in medicine, computer technology, new materials, food, energy, and other areas. Nano will affect our economy, environment, and our personal lives. Some scientists think that future nanotechnologies and materials could transform our lives as much as cars, personal computers, or the internet. Visit http://www.nisenet.org/nanodays for more information about Nano Days and NISE Net.

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center features 21st century interactive exhibits on aviation, astronomy, Earth and space sciences, a state-of-the-art planetarium and a variety of science, technology, engineering and math programs. The engaging, robust educational programs are geared towards families, teens, seniors, students, community groups, and lifelong learners. More information can be found at http://www.starhop.com.

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8220Nano Days8221 Comes to New Hampshire