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Project Descriptions

Adventures at Nanoscale: Superconductivity

July 15, 2011 - July 30, 2013 | Media and Technology
The idea that there are models in existence for electricity and how to improve its generation and utilization is an important quest in light of our resources. This CRPA project will stimulate the target audience\'s thinking by describing the relationships between electricity, nanoscience, and superconductivity. An audience of 4th-8th graders, parents, and teachers will come away from watching the video with a new sense of science and its possibilities. This project is a collaboration between physics faculty, educators at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, a communications professional, and the Bazillion Pictures of Kansas City, Missouri along with independent evaluators. An animated video of 8-10 minutes is intended to engage, entertain, and provoke thought on how electricity works and how it could be used/generated in nano-molecules to derive superconductivity. Most individuals turn on the electrical switch and use the result without the slightest understanding of how electricity arrived at the switch, how it was generated and what resources are needed for it to be there at the "flip of a switch." Further, most do not consider or have sufficient background knowledge to understand how the efficiency and use of this resource might be improved. This project could bridge this gap which if successful would be highly transformative in the public understanding of science.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 1065789
Funding Amount: 149999

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Judy Wu
    Principal Investigator
    University of Kansas
  • MacDonald web grain cropped
    Co-Principal Investigator
    University of Kansas
  • Alice Bean
    Co-Principal Investigator
    University of Kansas
  • Discipline: Engineering | Physics | Technology
    Audience: Parents/Caregivers | Elementary School Children (6-10) | Middle School Children (11-13) | Educators/Teachers
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Broadcast Media

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