Some of you might remember that the steady hands over at the Cornell NanoScale Science and
Technology Facility apparently did not have enough work to do about
a year ago, so they gave themselves some busywork -- like nanosizing
the American flag and the White House. Actually, they millimetersized
them, but used some tools of the nano trade to create flags 3
millimeters wide and 1.5 millimeters tall, and a bunch of White Houses
-- one 4.5 millimeters across and four others at 510 micrometers across.These small tokens of Cornell's appreciation were given last year to presidents Clinton and Bush for their respective roles in launching the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative and signing the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act. If nothing else, both efforts proved to be incredibly lucrative for universities that were prepared to add the nano prefix to their programs.
Cornell has about a hundred of those little things hanging around, so they're auctioning them on eBay until May 18. Proceeds will benefit Main Street Science, a "not-for-profit that supports the development of science learning activities for children and adults. "
No word on what became of Clinton's little instrument.
2 comments:
Actually, it was only the first few that were on auction until May 18th. I just bought #14 of the 100 copy limited edition. They appear to be offered at a few per week, and are still available at opening bids of $20. Watch out for a last-minute bidder who tried to buy all five for $30 each. The eBat seller is mainstreetscience at
http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZmainstreetscience
"Don't move your feet! I dropped the White House!"
We will be continuing to offer nanoflags until the 100 are gone. Just search for 'nanoflag'. There are a few currently posted and apologies for our lack of experience in having five auctions end within a minute of each other. We will fix that in all subsequent auctions and will be offer some as a 'buy now' option. All proceeds will go to Main Street Science, a 501 C 3 that helps to get kids excited about science.
Post a Comment