Welcome to the world of NanoKOMIK!
Welcome to our NanoKOMIK webpage! Explore the world of quantum nanoscience with a fun comic book and engaging hands on experiments!
Quantum nanoscience is becoming more of a part of our daily lives as technology advances and the devices we use get smaller. It is becoming impossible to make devices such as smart phones or computers without understanding quantum mechanics and nanoscience, since device components are shrinking to nearly the atomic scale. The IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience at Ewha Womans University (QNS) performs research that is laying the foundation for the quantum future. QNS invites our next generation to explore how quantum nanoscience may change our world by offering schools in Korea an interactive project called NanoKOMIK.
- With middle school science teachers, the Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS) has developed the Nanokomik Hands-on Science Program Curriculum for Korean middle school students.
- It is a hands-on science education program that allows students to learn nanoscience and quantum mechanics based on a comic book called Nanokomik, in an easy and fun way.
- Classes are available both on-site and online.
How the NanoKOMIK Curriculum Started
- It is now impossible to build electronic devices such as smartphones and computers without understanding quantum mechanics and nanoscience. This is because the size of memory chips has become so small that scientific principles in quantum nanoscience have become increasingly important. Quantum nanoscience may feel unfamiliar at first, but it is a field that is very close to real life.
- QNS conducts research that builds the foundation for the future of these quantum fields. We want to show middle school students, who will become future leaders, how quantum nanoscience can change the world.
- Based on these motivations, we started a fun project for middle school students called ‘Nanokomik Curriculum’ by using a comic book.
NanoKOMIK, Loved by Middle School Students
- In classes at middle schools
We have distributed the Nanokomik curriculum package for free of charge to 3,300 middle schools nationwide every semester starting in the spring of 2021. For two years leading up to June 2023, over 1,000 teachers have downloaded the curriculum package and over 3,300 students learned it in their classrooms. Teachers were free to modify and excerpt from the Nanokomik curriculum to suit the classroom situation.
- QNS “Nanokomik Science Lectures”
QNS directly operates 4-week online course every school break. It is being held during winter and summer vacations since January 2021, and it is very popular with students that application closes on the first day. We have recruited 110 students nationwide per session, and by August 2023 more than 600 students in total had enrolled. It is a free course, and the completion rate is very high at about 70%. QNS virtual lab tour opportunities is offered to students who are selected as outstanding students.
- High Satisfaction Level
We confirmed high level of satisfaction from survey of middle school teachers and students who took classes with Nanokomik.
Reviews on NanoKOMIK
- Middle school teachers
“I liked it because it was not something you can find in textbooks. It was very interesting for students since they could learn new knowledge beyond the textbook, and I was very satisfied with how it instilled various perspectives into students by introducing through YouTube related examples of the technology being actually used.”- A teacher who used Nonokomik to classes, Jangheung Girl’s Middle School
- Student participants
“Before learning Nanokomik, I thought science was just a difficult subject that needs a lot of memorizations. Learning this course completely flipped my view of science. It is truly amazing how we can build sophisticated structures or systems with such small atoms and molecules in nano world. It was very amazing experience for a month! I am very grateful to teachers from QNS who taught me this interesting science.”- Student who took “Nanokomik at QNS” online course, Songgok Middle School
- Parents
“My child really liked the class materials he received in advance and looked forward to the class, and I recall how joyfully he participated in every project. It was particularly good to see him making a stop motion—how he made a story, drew the background scene by scene, and making every entry and exit point for a character, and shooting the video. How proud he looked when the videos he took one shot after another was finally completed! He was selected as an outstanding student and was able to join the virtual lab tour, and he expressed multiple times how he was happy to see what he saw in the textbook from the tour. Thank you for giving him such an opportunity to grow interest in quantum nanoscience.”- Parent of a student who took “Nanokomik at QNS” online course, Chungbuk National University Middle School
NanoKOMIK Gallery
NanoKOMIK Videos
Students’ Works and Activity Sheets
1. Science activities
2. Students’ creative work
3. Nanokomik activity sheets
4. Art contest expressing quantum nanoscience
Nanokomik Book
The original NanoKOMIK is a comic book developed by QNS’ collaboration partners in Spain, Donastia International Physics Center (DIPC) and CIC-nanoGUNE. They held a contest for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 to create their own comic superheroine or superhero, endowing them with nano powers. Based on the best ideas from these stories, a comic book was developed by professional authors. With its partners’ generous encouragement, QNS translated NanoKOMIK for Korean school classes to use.
Nanokomik Curriculum
In order to make the nano experience even more interactive, QNS worked with teachers to develop 20 hours of middle school curriculum based on the topics in NanoKOMIK. In Korea there is a system called ‘free semester’ during the first year of middle school, where students can pick a subject they like and spend two hours every week exploring it. Teachers are able to engage in topics that are not covered by the normal school curriculum. Examples of popular subjects have included: magic, tourism, software coding, acting, etc… QNS is making this NanoKOMIK curriculum available as an invitation for middle school students into the realm of quantum nanoscience, filled with experieNanoKOMIKntial learning, and based on stories written by their peers.
Using this curriculum, learners will actually experience nanotechnologies shown in NanoKOMIK with fun hands-on activities. This will help them to understand how nanoscience and quantum mechanics influence their daily lives. If this really excites them, they can learn about the jobs related to this field and possibly have a class visit to the labs at QNS! This curriculum is a great resource for not only the ‘free semester’ but also any type of science classes.
- 6 hours
• Explore ‘Nanoscience in Nature’ using a lotus leaf spray experiment
• Make a ‘Nanokomik’ story parody video
- 4 hours
use to look at and even move individual atoms
• Experience the principle of an STM with your own hands
• Watch the world’s smallest movie and make your own
- 6 hours
• Watch movies featuring quantum mechanics
• Express quantum nanoscience as art
- 4 hours
• Explore jobs related to quantum nanoscience
• Express their work in pop-up books
QNS VR Tour
Apply for a “Field Trip at QNS”
The Center for Quantum Nanoscience invites gifted students in Korea to the field of experiential learning in quantum nanoscience. We ask for your interest in providing Nanokomik experience programs and research group lab tours.
Copyright and Developers
- NanoKOMIK book copyrights: DIPC (Donostia International Physics Center), CIC-nanoGUNE (Nanoscience Cooperative Research Center)
- NanoKOMIK educational curriculum copyright: the IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience at Ewha Womans University (QNS)
- Korean middle school teachers who developed the curriculum: Won Rae Jang, Shin Young Lee
- NanoKOMIK curriculum project manager: Sunny Kim (QNS)
Introduction of Original Nanokomik
- The original ‘Nanokomik’ is a comic book about a hero with nano power defeating a villain.
- Spain's DIPC and CIC-nanoGUNE have compiled and published the winning work of the Nanokomik
Contest for teenagers. - With the cooperation of DIPC, QNS translated it into Korean, and based on this, we developed a
“Nanokomik Curriculum” for middle school students to learn basic science through fun and diverse
hands-on activities.
