Annamaria LisottiNew ground was broken in the UNITE (UIUC Nanotechnology Institutes for Teacher Enhancement) program of the Nano-CEMMS Center when its first international participant attended the mid-July training session.
Written by By William Bowman
Annamaria Lisotti
New ground was broken in the UNITE (UIUC Nanotechnology Institutes for Teacher Enhancement) program of the Nano-CEMMS Center when its first international participant attended the mid-July training session.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to come and observe,” Annamaria Lisotti said. “Something that struck me both times I’ve visited the USA is that I was so easily accepted. For someone coming from the outside, it’s very good. It means open-mindedness and the idea that knowledge is something you share to make it grow.”
Lisotti comes from Italy, where in addition to being a high school math and physics teacher, she has been the coordinator of a European nano-technology pilot program at her school. This unique background enabled the Nano-CEMMS staff to gain additional perspective on international nano-technology education.
“Annamaria’s participation in our program has provided us with a basis for future international collaborations and we are honored to have her as a new member of our teacher network,” said Polly Kroha, the managing director for Nano-CEMMS (Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems).
Nano-CEMMS holds teacher institutes every summer. The goal is to introduce K-12 STEM teachers to nanotechnology concepts and educational materials so that they can integrate these materials into their classroom curricula.Lisotti said the experiments were her favorite part of the week and that she felt well-armed with solid suggestions to take back to her program.
“In Italy, science and physics are not so hands-on,” she said. “It’s much more theoretical, which is a pity because you don’t get any insight with what can be working with science to the students if you are just studying books. This week was great.”