[Image above] Examples of cards from the “Nano Around the World” card game. Credit: National Informal STEM Education Network
Halloween may still be several weeks away, but this week offers its own small treat—today is National Nanotechnology Day!
National Nano Day is an annual event coordinated by the National Nanotechnology Initiative to help raise awareness about nanotechnology. It is held on October 9 in a nod to the fact that the nanometer scale is 10-9 meters.
Since the first National Nano Day in 2016, nanotechnology has grown into a field with notable commercial and market value, with applications spanning from pharmaceuticals to agriculture. But with this transition from being a novel to established technology, researchers and policymakers are now beginning to ask questions about how to ensure the safe and ethical application of nanotechnology.
With these concerns in mind, the National Informal STEM Education Network created a special “Nano Around the World” card game that provides both children and adults a platform to consider and discuss these topics.
The card game involves each player receiving three cards: a character card, a current technology card, and a future technology card. They are asked to assume the role of their character and then trade with other players for nanotechnologies that might benefit them.
After all exchanges are done, players are asked to reflect on the choices they made and discuss the difficulty in finding appropriate technologies for many of the characters. They will then think about possible nanotechnologies that could benefit a wider array of people than current nanotechnologies do.
Ideally, these discussions will lead players to explore how “Our values shape how nanotechnologies are developed and adopted,” according to the card game lesson plan.
The card game is freely downloadable online and can be used for National Nanotechnology Day celebrations. At least 10 players are recommended for gameplay, however. Fortunately, if this activity does not work well for you, the National Nanotechnology Initiative website has a list of other enriching ways to celebrate. Have fun!
