Building a Low Cost, Hands-on Learning Curriculum for Glass Science and Engineering Using Candy Glass
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Building a Low Cost, Hands-on Learning Curriculum for Glass Science and Engineering Using Candy Glass William R. Heffner1 and Himanshu Jain1 1 International Materials Institute for Glass, Lehigh University, 7 Asa Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015, U.S.A. ABSTRACT We have developed a program to connect students, as well as the general public, with glass science in the modern world through a series of hands-on activities and learning experiences using sucrose based glass (a.k.a. hard candy). The scientific content of these experiments progresses systematically, providing an environment to develop an understanding of glassy materials within a framework of “active prolonged engagement” with the material. Most of the experiments can be assembled in a high school lab, or even in a home setting with minimal cost, and yet are appropriate for inclusion in an undergraduate materials lab. The cost is minimized by utilizing common, everyday materials and devices. Some of the activities included in our experiments include: synthesis, density, refractive index determination, glass transition, crystallization, kinetics of devitrification, thermal properties, etc. Temperature measurement, temperature control, and even automated data collection are part of the experience, providing an open path for the students to continue their own interesting and creative ideas. I. INTRODUCTION The 1983 publication of A Nation at Risk [1] identified the decline in the academic achievement of US students and the potential for failing to meet the national need for a competitive workforce. Since that time much social and political dialog has centered on the need to improve student achievement and interest in science, engineering and technology education in the US. Recently more attention has been brought to the significance of both hands-on learning and the informal educational experience to the total educational experience of both student and adult learners [2]. In response to this challenge, we have developed a program to connect students and the general public with glass science in our modern world through a series of hands-on activities and learning experiences. Glass and glassy materials are important and ubiquitous materials in our everyday life. In fact, they are perhaps among the most common material in our everyday experience, from windows, doors, kitchen ware, eyeglasses, cameras, and insulation, not to mention the optical fibers empowering the information age. And yet, with this incredible body of experiential familiarity to relate to, students experience little or no introduction to this important material in any of their formal high school or college science training. One of the problems in conducting any serious investigation of glass science for the younger students (especially in the high school or home setting) is the high temperatures required to make or form these materials, especially the commonly used oxide glasses, as well as the specialized equipment required to process these hard materials. However, a
much lower tempe
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