Design and Evaluation of the Environmental Outreach Activity for Middle School Students

The air-aluminum battery is an excellent way to introduce students to numerous STEM related topics. In this work, we describe an improved design of the air-aluminum battery for STEM outreach activities. This hands-on activity consists of students creating electrochemical cells that each produce ∼0.9 V. Each cell consists of an aluminum foil anode, a sponge saturated with NaCl(aq) as the electrolyte, and a small segment of graphite as the cathode. The entire assembly is secured using a 3d printed clip. The goal for the students during the activity is to assemble a battery capable of powering an LED. This activity is also designed as a team building exercise. The students must coordinate and work together to combine their electrochemical cells to power the LED. The total time of the activity, prelab through cleanup, ranges from 45 min to 1 h. We have held several variations of this activity, with groups ranging in size from 12 to 27 students working in teams of three or four.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Design of the Air-Aluminum Battery, Optimized for STEM Activities

Dovidio,

Harakas

2024

“…A further focus of our research is the incorporation of sustainability concepts into chemistry education. The past decade or more has seen growing interest in outreach that relates chemistry to the environment, including green chemistry, climate change, water quality, and green technologies such as dye-sensitized solar cells and biofuels. , Students have been challenged to consider the waste associated with their consumer choices and plastics . These topics have historically fallen outside the high school curriculum and may also lie outside teachers’ training, although they are entering the mainstream curriculum. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development, Use, And Evaluation of Chemistry Outreach Activities Related to the Periodic Table and Sustainability

Schultz

Delaney

2021

The International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements in 2019 provided a perfect opportunity to implement community engagement activities that repositioned the public image of chemistry, from one detrimentally linked to the long-term impacts of its previous achievements such as plastic waste and polluting industrial plants to one that embraced the principles of sustainability. This project took the Periodic Table as an organizing principle and collated and developed activities to increase the understanding of the Table itself and the importance of chemistry in regard to sustainability and a circular economy. The activities focused on “endangered elements”, which are overutilized in industry and in danger of disappearing within the 21st century. Through hands-on activities and demonstrations, students were challenged to develop an appreciation of how a “circular economy” keeps products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value. The activities were designed to be led and facilitated by high school students. Visits to seven schools in disadvantaged and remote areas allowed a maximum impact on over 1000 students. At each school, 8–12 students were mentored to take leadership roles guiding other students through the activities, increasing their participation and engagement with STEM. In this article, we present the set of activities developed along with the student evaluation of the outreach visits.

“…Informal educational events provide a unique out-of-classroom education experience for students to gain a familiarity with a topic that may not typically be covered in their standard curriculum. , Many informal educational events, which can consist of science outreach events, − demonstrations shows, , science workshops, , and science festivals, − involve a level of excitement and encouragement for the participants. Some informal educational events offer a broad introduction to chemistry or science and others are highly targeted to a specific theme such as the event illustrating new advances in mass spectrometry held each year at Purdue University. , Regardless of the specificity, these events typically require extensive planning and volunteer bases to conduct a successful event.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inspiring Future Rocket Chemists: A Hands-On Instructional Event Highlighting the Role Chemistry plays in the Fundamentals of Rocketry

Fedick

Bryan

Smith³

et al. 2023

Motivational hands-on workshops for grade-school level future scientists are needed to inspire young and receptive minds. Described here is an educational event, titled "Inspiring Future Rocket Chemists", with hands-on laboratory exercises demonstrating the fundamentals of rocket flight and live chemistry demonstrations illustrating the fundamentals of rocket propulsion. This event was developed for seventh and eighth grade students by the local Mojave Desert Section of the American Chemical Society and the China Lake Museum Foundation (CLMF). The CLMF is dedicated to educating the public and preserving the history of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division's contributions to our nation's warfighters. The workshop was developed and led by experts currently working in or retired from the rocket science field. Four hands-on exercises and four demonstrations were performed with the students. The laboratory exercises and demonstrations covered topics including model rocket components and assembly, rocket stability, propulsion, safety, chemical reactions, gas generation, and catalysis in propellants. Two distinguishing characteristics of this event was the inclusion of fundamental principles of rocket science and emphasis on the interdisciplinary nature of the field. The event's pedagogical goals were to motivate and inspire the participants in exploring the field of rocketry while teaching them the fundamental properties and important safety precautions for practicing rocketry. This event serves as the framework for future collaborative efforts between institutions for specialized workshops in topic areas not traditionally covered in student's coursework. The effectiveness of the event was measured through student assessments and feedback at the conclusion of the event.