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How an Educator and TriboTEX Helped Students Learn About Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology, like the tech found in TriboTEX, is a cornerstone that the future will be built on. Science, medicine, engineering – you name it – will all utilize nanotechnology on the cutting edge. But how do we get our future scientists, doctors, and engineers interested in studying nanotechnology, which can be hard to understand?

Thanks to TriboTEX and an enterprising educator, those attending the Rushford Days Celebration in Rushford, Minnesota, got to investigate nanotechnology up close. Ann Markegard, a nanotechnology educator, coached two local students on how to do various “nano demonstrations” for festival attendees. The students’ stand included samples and marketing materials for TriboTEX.

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Ann Markegard helping students in Rushford, Minnesota

“One of my demos was about why we might want to buy a pan with a nano coating,” Ann said. “I start with a pan that is covered with ping pong balls. I ask them to imagine cracking and frying an egg on it. You just aren’t going to get much of the egg off. A micro coating helps, but a nano coating is even better. I love watching the confused looks change to understanding as the demo goes on. Now I need to revise it a bit to better explain how a nano coating can fill into the “rough” surfaces of an engine to produce the improvements TriboTEX offers!”

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Nano scale is 1/1,000,000 

There was further interest in TriboTEX, thanks to Ann and her students, at the Rushford Days car show. From automobile to marine applications, newly-educated enthusiasts were buzzing about the nanotechnology in TriboTEX.

“The only trouble I had, was in convincing one gentleman that I did not have a free sample for him!” said Ann.

Thanks to educators like Ann, and her students, the future of nanotechnology remains bright. We hope TriboTEX can continue to spark interest in nano technology in the minds that will shape our future.