Infrared (IR) emission and absorption principles are familiar to scientists and engineers who visualize and quantify heat transfer, and necessarily appreciate the conceptual unification of IR with other electromagnetic radiation. The term “infrared” has also reached the public vernacular inasmuch as temperature-sensitive imaging, IR thermometers, and “IR heaters,” for example, are mainstream tangibles. Inexpensive IR-sensitive cameras and night vision equipment afford opportunities for the non-scientific public to interact directly with output from IR devices. This conspicuousness of IR-enabled technologies, including visually engaging false-color images depicting heat intensity that are seen in advertising, art, and other media, can pique public curiosity. We thus seek to enliven broader learning about electromagnetic radiation in general, and about IR-related applications specifically, using an inexpensive, commercially available plug-and-play IR camera. We will describe interactive IR imaging activities suitable for outreach work aimed at improving public perception of chemistry. Attendees’ reactions to an IR-based activity at a large university’s annual “Carnival of Chemistry,” which also features parallel electromagnetic radiation-based learning opportunities that do not require imaging equipment, will be discussed.

Infrared imaging devices light the way to new public outreach possibilities

253rd National Meeting (2017)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.