What could be more fun than making the best gummy bears, designing the coolest cell phone cases, or creating the bounciest ball? How about completing the activities while learning concepts of polymer science? Using the Maker Movement nomenclature, maker challenges are teacher guided, student lead lessons that use engineering design principals that promote learning through the creation of student designed tangible products. Through an NSF Research Experience for Teachers program, three high school science teachers demonstrate how research on silicon based organic polymers, peptide hydrogels, and liquid crystal elastomers can be translated into polymer science maker challenge lesson plans. In Applied String Theory! Nano-Polymer Cell Phone Cases, students design and create their own cell phone case. During the challenge, students will need to optimize the ratios of their polymer (silicone) with starch. Students are encouraged to think critically as embed strings into their cases in their quest to have the highest strength and best flexibility. Students will additionally be allowed to decorate their cases using paint, glitter, and markers. In Making Gummy Bears, student teams design a snack that uses the proper ratio of ingredients. The teams decide the amounts of dry gelatin and beet juice as well as the procedure to mix the ingredients. Once the snack is created, students will test for viscosity and then taste-test samples that properly gel. The third lesson, Having a Ball, illustrates how a teacher can translate their research on liquid crystal elastomers into a maker challenge where students work as material science engineers to develop the bounciest ball using provided materials (borax, glue, cornstarch, salt, etc.). Students brainstorm and develop multiple plans for the quantity of each material that will needed to make their product bouncy. In all three lessons, students are encouraged to fail and are given time to re-design and retest their creations. As students re-design they learn from their previous efforts. In order to be successful, students must take detailed notes on their process and design. Maker challenges encourage inquiry, as students must question which variables must be manipulated and which must remain constant throughout their build. Through real-world and relevant experiences, students learn to become active contributors to their learning experiences.

Engaging students in polymer science through maker challenges

2019 Spring National Meeting

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