ROSEMOUNT -- It’s in your iPod. Your sunscreen. Your baseball bat. Nanoscience technology is everywhere. This summer, Dakota County Technical College will give high school students the opportunity to explore the world at the molecular and atomic level -- the nanoscale.

The four-day program held at the DCTC campus in Rosemount will consist of a lecture program to introduce science concepts at the atomic level and cover practical examples of how nanoscience is impacting our lives today.

As a supplement to the lecture, students will participate in a series of labs where they will create gold nanoparticles and nanowires, study non-Newtonian fluids and surface tension, and evaluate the mechanical properties of different materials.

Students will also have the opportunity to use the atomic force microscope, scanning tunneling microscope, and the Hysitron nanomechanical measurement system to study the results of lab work.

On Wednesday, the group will travel to the University of Minnesota to tour the nanofab clean room in bunny suits and visit the characterization Lab, where students will observe and operate state-of-the-art tools used to investigate the nanoscale.

The first session will take place June 11-14, and the second session will take place June 25-28. Classes run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. The cost is $25, and lunch is included.

The only requirements to participate in the program are an interest in math and science and a wiliness to explore. To register, visit www.dctc.edu and click on Nanoscience Classes for High School Students, which is located beneath Upcoming Events.