The College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (“CNSE”) of the University at Albany and the Children’s Museum of Science and Technology (“CMOST”) partnered to provide 20 middle-school students with a unique firsthand look at the exciting world of nanotechnology when they attended the CNSE-CMOST Summer NanoCamp on July 6 at CNSE’s Albany NanoTech Complex.

The CNSE-CMOST Summer NanoCamp was designed to give students between the ages of 11 and 14 an introduction to the emerging science of nanotechnology and a window into how it will shape their future.

Participants received an introductory presentation on nanotechnology; toured CNSE’s world-class Albany NanoTech Complex, a $5.5 billion megaplex that is the most advanced in the academic world; and had the opportunity to engage in several hands-on activities, including gowning up in cleanroom “bunny suits,” building polymer chains, and experimenting with model fuel-cell cars and solar photovoltaic panels.

According to projections by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. will need over 2 million nanotechnology-savvy workers by 2014, to include scientists, researchers, engineers, technicians and others.