Outreach to Community and Schools

The nanosystems graduate students that the CNSI will train five years from now are in high school today, and so it is important to capture pre-college students' attention and imagination today. The CNSI has formed a partnership with the Ventura County Discovery Center (VCDC) of Thousands Oaks to reach out to potential CNSI students. The CNSI and Discovery Center plan to showcase jointly developed, interactive exhibits that demonstrate the potential of nanosystems on our lives. The program will also provide a direct link to a the Foothills Technology High School, which was established to provide programs that emphasize and foster the enthusiasm and skills needed to understand and utilize science and technology. The CNSI is currently formulating a program in which Foothill students will become involved in a docent work-study program at the Discovery Center, alongside CNSI graduate and undergraduate students.