An Educational Model of an Atomic Force Microscope

We have constructed an operational, educational model of an atomic force microscope which employs and highlights the fundamental concepts and principles involved in nanoscale microscopy. The probe, which holds the laser source and the cantilever tip, is mounted on a carriage which moves in the horizontal x-y plane. The translation in the x-direction is obtained using a screw system, while y-direction movement is governed by two sets of rack and pinion gear systems. Off-the-shelf optical rotary encoders provide horizontal position transduction while vertical deflection of the cantilever tip on the sample surface is achieved by a pen-laser-based dual photodetector system. The hardware and electronics required to build the entire device may be purchased for less than $1,000 making it ideal for K-12 teachers trying to demonstrate the fundamentals of nanoscience to their students. This project also includes an instruction manual for building the device which is available on the author’s website

Weaving indigenous agricultural knowledge with formal education to enhance community food security : school competition as a pedagogical space in rural Anchetty, India

In communities from the remote rural regions of Anchetty, young learners’ informal learning experiences often come through interactions with local agriculture and the environment in which they and their families work and learn. These informal learning experiences are essential to what are otherwise called ‘indigenous knowledge systems’. For primary school students in Anchetty, the ways in which they engage in learning community-based agricultural knowledge are challenged by school-based formal education processes. Using a school competition as a pedagogical strategy for integrative space, this paper supports and explores the meaning and characteristics of indigenous agricultural knowledge (IAK)