A Community Science Program · Week 3

Engineering at the
Nanoscale

A one-week nanotechnology program for curious 13-year-olds — run real experiments, meet the scientists reshaping matter one atom at a time, and figure out what you'd build if you could engineer anything

✦ Thames & Kosmos Kit ✦ 5-Day Program + Saturday Meetup ✦ Nobel Prize Science ✦ Real Careers

Careers in Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology doesn't have one career — it runs through almost every field that matters. Here's who's doing the real work and what they're actually building. One of these might be you.

What Is Nanotechnology?

A nanometre is one billionth of a metre. A human hair is about 80,000 nanometres wide. Nanotechnology is the science of designing and building things at the scale of individual atoms and molecules — where matter behaves in ways that would seem like magic if you didn't know the rules.

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What Is Nanotechnology?
Lesics
A clear, visual explanation of what nanotechnology actually is — from the nanoscale to real-world applications. A great starting point before diving into the week.
▶ Watch on YouTube

Nano Chemistry in Everyday Life

The kit's book covers five themes — but nanoscale science hides in far more places. Here are five more phenomena, most of which you can explore with things already in your house.

Speak the Language

Eight words every nanotechnologist uses. Drop these at the meetup.

The 5-Day Nano Journey

Monday through Friday, each day you'll work through one section of the experiment book that comes with your kit — plus videos to watch, activities, and a journal prompt. Saturday is the meetup. Expand each day to see everything.

⚠ Lab Safety — Read Before Your First Experiment
Wear safety goggles whenever you're handling liquids or powders. Your eyes are irreplaceable.
Wash your hands thoroughly before and after every experiment, even if you wore gloves.
Never eat, drink, or touch your face while running an experiment — chemicals that aren't dangerous on skin can be dangerous if swallowed.
Work on a flat, clear surface. If you spill something, clean it up immediately and tell an adult.
Have an adult nearby for any experiment involving heat, electricity, or chemicals you haven't used before.
When the booklet says "Adult Supervision Required," it means it. Don't skip that step.
If something doesn't smell right, look right, or feel right — stop and ask before continuing. Scientists trust their instincts.
The Tyndall Effect experiments use a laser. Never point it at anyone's eyes — including your own — and never look into the beam, even for a second.

How the Experiments Work This Week

The book that comes with your kit is organised into five themed sections. Each section starts with a few pages of knowledge base articles, followed by 6–13 experiments. Each day, Monday to Friday, is paired with the section that fits its theme — you'll find it inside the day card below. Read the knowledge base articles first, then choose any five experiments from that section and run them. By Friday you'll have worked through the whole book.

Discussion Questions

Questions to think about during the week — and to fuel the Saturday conversation. The best ones don't have clean answers.

The Saturday Meetup

By Saturday you've run real experiments, read about real science, and thought about real problems. Now you share what you found — and pick your format.

Pick Your Final Project

There are three ways to show what you learned this week. Pick whichever fits you best — all three are equally valid, and it's fine if multiple kids pick the same format. Click the cards below to see exactly what's expected.

Meetup Agenda

Here's how to run the Saturday session together.