Outreach

The Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN) is commited to outreach which promotes science and reseach across our community.

SHAD Program - July 2022

The SHAD Program connects remarkable young high school students with universities around Canada through a summer enrichment program. 

As a partner to the SHAD Program, the University of Waterloo and WIN welcomed six energetic and engaged young minds to the Quantum Nano Centre (QNC) in July 2022. This was the second year WIN hosted SHAD students, with the first visit in July 2019.  

The students were at a WIN laboratory – the Micro Nano-Scale Transport Lab (MNT) – for three days where they toured the QNC and the Quantum-Nano Fabrication and Characterization Facility (QNFCF), and learned about some important techniques that take place in the QNFCF cleanroom. They also toured the undergraduate Nanotechnology Engineering labs located within the QNC, for those students who may be interested in attending UW’s Nanotechnology Engineering program upon graduating high school. 

During their visit, the students received preliminary training on the fabrication of paper devices for point-of-care testing, specifically on COVID-19 rapid tests. The project involved the use of gold nanoparticles that produce a color response when in contact with key markers such as COVID-19 proteins. They also learned how to prepare DNA-conjugated carbon nanoparticles through centrifugation. Students also assembled half-strip lateral flow assays (LFAs) and applied required chemicals to the paper to make test and control lines. The students also learned about different types of microfluidic chips and observed interesting features of nanomaterials using an optical microscope.  

For the students, the SHAD Program and their time at WIN has been transformative:  

It has been really fun to be in this laboratory. I got to experience and learn new things from this program that I wouldn’t have had a chance to do otherwise. I also met new friends and we learned a lot from each other too.