INDIANAPOLIS - Imagine the tiniest bits of matter you could ever study, then mix in a classroom of talented high school students.
That's what's been happening at IUPUI. They're all focused on the future of nanotechnology.
It's a summer camp unlike any other. You need a lab coat, goggles and a keen sense of the tiniest details.
"It's a relatively new technology, but...if you look hard enough, you could find it almost anywhere," said Jack Mershon, Carmel High School.
It's called nanotechnology. Twenty-five high school students from the Indianapolis area spent an entire week at the Nanotechnology Discovery Summer Camp at IUPUI.
One of the items they created was a tiny solar panel with everyday ingredients.
"Titanium dioxide, which we found in donut powder. Dye which we used from blueberry juice and cranberry juice. And iodine," said Libby Silverman, Eastern Hancock High School.
Everything is measured in nanometers.
"So if a nanometer is a marble, then a meter is the earth. So if you slice a human hair a thousand times, that gives you a hundred nanometers," said Olivia Flynn, Cathedral High School
"It's very useful in the medical field because you can use these to tag certain cells and deliver drugs to tumors and other forms of cancer-causing things," said Kevin Song, Carmel High School.
It's a field that is leading these students into challenging careers.
"I would like to be a mechanical engineer," said Tre Williams, Lawrence Central.
"I wanna be a neurologist and it's a great chance not everyone gets to learn about nanotechnology because most people don't even know what it is," said Flynn.
"This is a channel through which you can inspire them. They may not go into nanotechnology, but it can create a wow effect," said Dr. Mangilal Argawal, nanotechnology professor.
It's a complex world that these high schoolers have already grasped, that will likely propel them toward promising careers of medical, scientific or industrial innovation.
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