Schools
Microscopic technology comes to Chesterfield school
By Nick DeRatto
Oct 8, 2008 - 8:12:13 AM

For many high school students, the usual science course load of earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics is more than enough. However, local resident Krishan Agrawal hopes to inject some new life into the curriculum by giving students a glimpse of nanotechnology.

On Tuesday, October 21, Chesterfield County school officials will welcome Dr. Richard Jones, author of Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life, for a classroom visit and panel discussion at L.C. Bird.

“We want to strengthen and stimulate the science curriculum for juniors and seniors and give them the opportunity to make a connection with a well-known scientist who is an author,” says Agrawal. “I hope that this helps students to see the relevance between different academic disciplines and strengthens their critical thinking skills.”

Jones, a Senior Strategic Advisor for Nanotechnology for the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council in the U.K., will spend time discussing the emerging field of Nanoscale Science and Technology, showing how the field could one day revolutionize health care and the manufacturing of consumer goods.

“This is a very timely discussion since the field is still in its infancy stage,” says Agrawal. “This will be a great opportunity for students to decide if this is an area that they feel they could make a difference in.”

While nanoscale science and technology may be a relatively new field, the concept of bringing scientific authors to Chesterfield is hardly a new one for Agrawal. While owner of the Little Professor Book Center in the Bermuda Square Shopping Center, Agrawal first began pitching his idea to bring scientific authors to a local school system.

“I took the idea to several different school systems, but none were too enthusiastic. Then I met Wally Pendleton, who was the Science Curriculum Specialist for Chesterfield County Public Schools and he was really excited about the idea,” says Agrawal.

Finally finding support for his idea, Agrawal teamed up with Chesterfield school officials in 1993 to bring authors Dr. David Schramm and Mr. Ivars Peterson to the county. Despite the closure of Little Professor Book Center in 1999, Agrawal continued his work with the program until the program broke down after the last author visit in 2003.

“The program broke down for a variety of reasons. I made a few efforts some years to get it started again, but it didn’t work out,” says Agrawal. “This is the first time we have done it since 2003, so hopefully it has some impact on the students’ exposure to science.”

Dr. Jeremy Lloyd, CCPS Instructional Specialist for Science since 2005, remembers the way that the program benefited his students while teaching at Clover Hill. As Instructional Specialist, he relishes the opportunity to help start the program once again.

“I thought the program was very good in the past. It had good feedback and I saw firsthand the way that it benefited students. In fact, one of the students who was on the panel in 1997, Steven Wheeler, is now a computational chemist at UCLA and said that the scientist visit was one of the things that made him want to become a scientist,” says Lloyd. “I think this program gives students a different view of science, one that is more personalized because they get to meet the people whom they read about. Dr. Jones is younger and his enthusiasm shows very much, so I think that students will be able to relate well to him.”

With his visit less than two weeks away, Agrawal and Lloyd hope that some of Jones’ enthusiasm for his field rubs off on the county’s students.

“I’m very happy and excited that we can revitalize the program now with such a timely discussion. By exposing students to the field in its early stages, we can hopefully create in interest in it and some of these students could one day be major players in the field,” says Agrawal. “This type of activity makes our high school kids better prepared for the global competition.”

The panel discussion with Dr. Jones will take place at L.C. Bird on October 21 from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

nderatto@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421



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