ANN ARBOR—While thousands of people view the works at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fairs, a group of middle school students from Ypsilanti Public Schools will be exploring the beauty of objects that can’t be seen with the naked eye.

More than 30 students are participating in the Summer Science Institute at the University of Michigan School of Education. They will explore the world of nanotechnology.

Over the next two weeks for five hours a day, these students will investigate scientific phenomena that are only observable through indirect study, or with incredibly sophisticated tools such as electron microscopes and other unique resources. The program is paid for by the University and the Ypsilanti schools and free to the students.

The students will visit the University’s ” clean room” laboratories where specialized computer chips are created, conduct a crime-scene style investigation focusing on the microscopic evidence left by people and objects, and create of a variety of models, including complex three-dimensional computer generated representations of nanoscale objects such as molecules and viruses.

Students are being led through these investigations by a team of scientists and educators from the U-M School of Education, who are a part of the National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering, along with Ypsilanti teachers, and support staff from the HOPE (Health Occupations Partners in Education) program based at the University.

The Summer Science Institute is the brainchild of Ypsilanti Public School Superintendent Jim Hawkins and U-M faculty. The goal is to help students learn about interesting science and mathematics topics from experts in an environment that shows students what the work of professionals is like while introducing them to future career options.

While such programs are more common among high school students preparing for college, Hawkins’ intent was to develop and maintain interest in these fields in middle school, when students’ motivation and achievement in the sciences traditionally begins to decline.

For more information, contact Stephen Best at (734) 709-8904.

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