Saturday – Sunday, March 29 – 30, 2014, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday – Friday, March 31 – April 4, 2014, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday–Sunday, April 5 – 6, 2014, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Discover a miniscule world where materials have special properties and new technologies have spectacular promise! Find out how gecko feet, butterfly wings, and other things found in nature have inspired some amazing innovations during NanoDays at the Academy’s Naturalist Center (Level 3). Build a giant nano puzzle, explore how 3D imaging helps scientists work on the nanoscale, and discover a variety of other activities. At various times throughout the week, join educators for fun activities about topics like how blue morpho butterfly wings aren’t really blue, how lotus leaves have inspired stain-resistant fabric, and how some things like DNA and snowflakes assemble themselves in nature. Each day at 3:15 PM, make a cool keepsake and discover what it has to do with the amazing world of nanoscience. NanoDays is a nationwide festival of educational programs organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Network). To find out more about the fascinating world of nanoscience, visit whatisnano.org. Free with Academy admission. Naturalist Center at the California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. (415) 379-8000. www.calacademy.org.