NCI-SW and ASU’s Open Door 2020

By Ray Tsui, NCI-SW Education & Outreach Coordinator. 

Arizona State University hosts an annual spring Open Door event inviting the public to come and learn about the wide range of research and capabilities at the school. The event for the Tempe campus took place on February 22nd, where NCI-SW put on an exhibit called “Look Inside the Nano World.” An optical microscope was set up for visitors to view details on silicon wafers that have been processed through a computer chip fabrication line. To introduce additional aspects of micro- and nanoscale technology, attendees were also given the opportunity to access and control a remotely-located scanning electron microscope and image structures at up to 100,000X magnification. NCI-SW staff also highlighted other impacts of nanotechnology on society, ranging from stain resistant fabrics to improved vision. The exhibit had over 250 visitors of all ages, even though it was a wet and windy afternoon!

Dr. Trevor Thornton (right) showing a young visitor how to view a patterned wafer using the optical microscope
Professor Jameson Wetmore (left) showing nano-enhanced fabric that is stain resistant to a family