The world of nanotechnology

RUSNANO, publishing house "BINOM. Laboratory of Knowledge", teachers and researchers of Moscow State University, MEPhI, MIEM, Moscow schools began to develop a series of popular science lectures "The World of Nanotechnology".

Within the framework of this project, it is planned to take one of the first steps in the field of popularization of nanotechnology in conditions when there is already an urgent public need for this and the relevance of the educational approach is beyond doubt due to its programmed effectiveness and the creation of prerequisites for the steady, progressive introduction into the public consciousness of a positive image of nanotechnology at the level of understanding and full awareness of the choice of interested youth his future career. Thus, the aim of the project is to create and test a series of popular science lectures explaining the basic concepts and terms, revealing the most promising areas of use and directions of development of nanotechnology and their modern achievements to motivate young people to choose a career in the field of nanomaterials and nanotechnology and the reproduction of young nanoindustry personnel.

Unfortunately, at the moment it is very limited to conduct field schools with lectures on nanotechnology by specialists of leading universities, there are almost no systematic attempts to create educational materials for schoolchildren. In the current situation, the implementation of this project to create a new popular scientific (open) course "The World of Nanotechnology" is undoubtedly timely, in demand and relevant.

To achieve the set goals, an integrated approach will be used to solve the following main tasks:

• search and formalization of the existing reliable educational and scientific material in the form of a series of lectures "The World of nanotechnology" by highly qualified specialists in the field of nanomaterials and nanotechnology;
• approbation of lectures in the form of public speeches, as well as conducting lectures in videoconference mode, organizing access to lectures for teachers and students of educational institutions of the regions of the Russian Federation by posting them in the Internet lecture hall of the publishing house;
• creation of modern media products based on the developed course and the first experience of its practical implementation to ensure a long-term effect and improve the quality of work for the long term.

Target audience: high school students, teachers and teachers of general education institutions, primary and secondary vocational education systems, students, teaching staff (regarding the use of didactic material), persons interested in nanotechnology.

Description of the main planned works.At the first stage "Development of the main content of the course" (May-July 2010), a systematic analysis of the available materials and the creation of original mock-ups of lectures (in the format of reading 45 minutes for classes with schoolchildren) will be carried out:

1. What is "nano"?Main content:

what is nanotechnology and why everyone should know about it, the scale of scales, conceptual ideas about the microcosm and nanomir, ideas about the structure of the atom, basic information about dimensional effects – changes in the properties of matter in the state of nanoparticles, including physical, chemical, mechanical, biological characteristics, examples of "classical" and unusual nanoobjects, nanotechnology around us, natural objects. What to read about nanotechnology (popular and serious). Internet sites on nanotechnology. Olympiad in Nanotechnology.

2. Forecasts and prospects for the development of nanotechnology. Application of nanotechnology in electronics and energy.Main content: modern achievements and prospects of nanotechnology in the context of the development of high technologies and sustainable development of the human community.

The use of the achieved results of nanomir research in modern life on the example of energy. Nanoelectronics – methods and principles of operation, achievements and prospects. Optoelectronics and nanoelectronics devices.

3. Nanoparticles, nanostructured materials. Methods of obtaining them. The use of nanostructured materials in modern technologies.Main content: classification of nanoparticles, morphological diversity, heterostructures, supramolecular materials.

Ideas about the basic functional properties of materials. Semiconductors and quantum dots. Chemical, physical and biological methods of obtaining nanoparticles and nanomaterials. Their use in science, technology, diagnostics, medicine.

4. Nanobiotechnology in the modern world. Practical use of the knowledge of the nanomir in modern biotechnologies.Main content: molecular foundations of living systems.

The idea of a living cell; the principle of self-organization of the living. Bacteria, multicellular organisms. Natural nanosystems in the storage, reproduction and realization of genetic information of the cell. Structural and functional aspects of bionanotechnology. The principle of self-assembly.

5. The possibilities of using the knowledge of the nanomir in medicine and pharmacology of the present and future.Main content: areas of application of nanotechnology for the development of fundamentally new methods of diagnosis and treatment of human diseases: the use of nanomaterials for targeted delivery of drugs and therapeutic genes, visualization of pathomorphological structures, the creation of medical nanorobots.

Nanomaterials and their derivatives in the service of medicine.

6. Interdisciplinary aspects of nanotechnology. Computer modeling of nanostructures and nanosystems.Main content: "classical" scientific disciplines (chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology) and their interpenetration in application to nanotechnology, scientific and practical effect of the use of nanotechnology at present and in the future.

Computer modeling of nanostructures and nanosystems.

7. Nanotechnology is all around us. Modern applications of nanotechnology.Main content: nanowire elements (graphene, fullerenes, nanotubes, dendrimers, nanowires), nanotechnology tools, nanowire riddles, the use of nanotechnology at the present time (nanobatteries, nanocatalysts, nanofibers).

At the second stage, "Course Testing" (August-October 2010), lectures will be delivered orally by individual members of the author's team in Moscow and major cities of the Russian Federation (Perm, Belgorod, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Petrozavodsk), as well as in videoconference mode for listeners of a number of IPKRO, OU and universities of the Russian Federation in Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Kazan, Arkhangelsk, Stavropol, Krasnoyarsk, Ryazan. In the video conferencing mode, everyone can connect to the address indicated on the publisher's website and listen to lectures online.

After the completion of the work on the creation and testing of lectures, they will be modified taking into account the experience of testing the original teaching materials. Additionally, video and other media materials will be created, which will allow creating a comprehensive product ready for distribution, which will record the achievements of the project at a high level and will be ready for use in the main active points of the network created at the testing stage of the course. This product will be freely available on the websites of RUSNANO, the publishing house, as well as on a number of other nanotechnology sites.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru27.05.2010