Night of the Open Door at ASU

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By: Ray Tsui, Ph.D

A graduate student showing a young visitor how to control a remotely-located scanning electron microscope

Night of the Open Door, an annual signature event, where Arizona State University invites the general public to visit all five of its campuses, to learn about the work and capabilities at the school. The 2017 event, at the Tempe campus, was held on February 25. NCI-SW was excited to present an exhibit called “Look Inside the Nano World.” Faculty and students, from ASU, set up optical microscopes under which visitors to the exhibit, could view details of pressure sensor and microprocessor chips fabricated on silicon wafers. Access to a remotely-located scanning electron microscope was also set up so visitors could control the imaging of various samples that ranged from an insect to nanowires to learn about micro- and nano-scale technology.

Looking at pressure sensor chips under the optical microscope after checking out the home-made demo version (silver can in foreground)!

The display on pressure sensors was a joint effort with Rio Salado College, one of the campuses of the Maricopa County Community College District, a NCI-SW partner. In addition to the micro-fabricated sensor chips, there was also a home-made sensor built using a coffee can, which was a big hit with the younger participants. The exhibit generated a lot of interest, attracting a total of 480 visitors of all ages.