Chemical Engineering Reactions
Contact: Aaron Goldstein goldst@vt.edu
Type of program:
The outreach efforts involved hands-on chemistry demonstrations intended to interest students in chemistry/chemical engineering. Demonstrations took place in a wet chemistry lab in Hancock and lasted 45-75 minutes, accommodating groups of up to 16 students (ages 12-17). Materials for experiments were prepared a week in advance the Department of Chemistry.
This hands-on program exposes youths to chemical process of industrial importance. Experiments are performed by either students with the assistance of undergraduate/graduate/faculty member or by the undergraduate/graduate/faculty member in the presence of the students (who are divided into groups of four). Our experiments include synthesis of nylon 66, synthesis of aromatic esters (orange, wintergreen, banana), forming brass alloys, and examining how materials behave at very low temperatures. These are executed in a round-robin format allowing the students roughly 12 minutes per station. With additional time, we also make ice cream using liquid nitrogen.
The program takes place in a laboratory and serves 100 K-12 youths; 70 sixth to eighth grade youths (middle); 30 ninth to twelfth grade youths (high school). Personnel included two university undergraduate and two university graduate students; and one university faculty member. Disciplines and topics included science, technology, engineering, and integrated STEM education. The program serves Virginia.
The student chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) conducts outreach activities to elementary schools, usually in the spring semester.
Professors Abby Morgan, Padma Rajagopalan, and Aaron Goldstein work with summer camps through the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED). For the Computers and Technology at Virginia Tech (C-Tech2) and Imagination camps, Dr. Goldstein demostrates how to make ice cream out of liquid nitrogen while Dr. Rajagopalan teaches summer camp participants in C-Tech2 to make and test the properties of Funny Putty.
Dr. Preston Durrill conducts actvities and demonstrations for K-12 students. He has visited students at schools in Buchanan County, North Cross Elementary in Roanoke, Virginia, and Russell Prater Elementary in Grundy, Virginia.
