Category
Poster - Theoretical Proposal
Description
The aim of this proposal is to investigate the importance of polymer education in college chemistry courses. Polymers are scientifically important because they play a fundamental role in various aspects of daily life and include fibers, adhesives, paint, foams, plastics, rubbers, and much more. There are natural polymers that are isolated by mankind such as starches, wool, silk, and rubber. But there are also synthetic polymers which are created through chemical processes, included among these are nylon, low density polyethylene, and silicone. Polymer chemistry focusses on the synthesis, properties, and structure of polymers. Polymers are unique in their diversity of use and their ability to be applied to interdisciplinary concepts. Teaching polymer chemistry at an undergraduate level is important because 50% of chemists work with polymers at some point during their career. The objective of this proposal is to increase the teaching of polymers taught to college students in an educational and laboratory setting. This project describes and proposes the implementation of a polymer lab at an undergraduate level with the goal of enhancing the students’ understanding of polymer chemistry concepts and foster interdisciplinary connections within the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Selection of suitable experiments will be based on a limited search of polymer experiments within the last ten years, cost, time, and interdisciplinary concepts.
The importance of teaching polymer chemistry in college chemistry classes
Poster - Theoretical Proposal
The aim of this proposal is to investigate the importance of polymer education in college chemistry courses. Polymers are scientifically important because they play a fundamental role in various aspects of daily life and include fibers, adhesives, paint, foams, plastics, rubbers, and much more. There are natural polymers that are isolated by mankind such as starches, wool, silk, and rubber. But there are also synthetic polymers which are created through chemical processes, included among these are nylon, low density polyethylene, and silicone. Polymer chemistry focusses on the synthesis, properties, and structure of polymers. Polymers are unique in their diversity of use and their ability to be applied to interdisciplinary concepts. Teaching polymer chemistry at an undergraduate level is important because 50% of chemists work with polymers at some point during their career. The objective of this proposal is to increase the teaching of polymers taught to college students in an educational and laboratory setting. This project describes and proposes the implementation of a polymer lab at an undergraduate level with the goal of enhancing the students’ understanding of polymer chemistry concepts and foster interdisciplinary connections within the undergraduate chemistry curriculum. Selection of suitable experiments will be based on a limited search of polymer experiments within the last ten years, cost, time, and interdisciplinary concepts.
Comments
Undergraduate - 1st Place Award Winner