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Undergraduate student Charles Sing explains how polymers are melt-processed and demonstrates the concept by giving Gummi Bears a new shape.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 2007, Professors Christoph Weder and Stuart J. Rowan and their research groups led the fourth round of a pioneering science outreach program in collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH). The activity emerged from a long-standing collaboration between the CASE team and the Museum’s educational coordinator Alison Ball and is part of the Museum’s “Winter Discovery Day.” This annual event is free to the public and is held in cooperation with Cleveland’s Museums and Cultural Institutions in a city-wide celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to education. Its main objective is to encourage in particular economically disadvantaged families to visit the educational institutions and explore their resources. The CASE participation in this activity is supported through individual NSF grants awarded to the two faculty members and additional support from the Case School of Engineering. Using examples of naturally occurring polymer materials that are familiar to everyone, the CASE team developed a series of activities that were designed to be fun and educational, and highlight the role of Nature’s Polymers.
Graduate Student Blayne McKenzie explains that the mechanical properties of plant are due to polymers.
Over 910 visitors embarked on a tour that typically lasted 20 minutes and took them along five science stations that were hosted by the Case professors and their groups that included undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdoctoral associates. With the help of a magic trick and many examples of synthetic polymer objects, graduate students James “J.D.” Mendez and Adriane Miller introduced the visitors to the concept of macromolecules at the first science station entitled, “What is a Polymer?” The tour then moved to an overview of “Polymers from Animals” at the next science station presented by graduate students Kadhiravan Shanmuganathan and Lauren Buerkle. Using wool and Kevlar fibers as an example, the CASE scientists demonstrated similarities and differences between natural and synthetic materials. Graduate students Jill Kunzelman and Blayne McKenzie talked about “Polymers from Plants.” Focusing on biodegradable polymers they explained the difference between synthetic packaging chips and a corn-starch based bioversion. Children and adults alike were surprised to see the natural based material disappear when they brought it in contact with water, in contrast to the more familiar styrofoam packaging. Under the title “How to Make Things from Polymers?” undergraduate student Charles Sing along with graduate students Brian Makowski, Mark Burnworth, and Joe Lott demonstrated melt and solution processing of polymers. Visitors were surprised to see how easily Gummi Bears could be transformed into rigid films, swollen gels or Gummi coins. Finally post-doc Michael Schroeter, and graduate student Justin Fox highlighted the potential of polymeric materials in high-tech applications at the fifth science station entitled “The Future is Plastic!”. They demonstrated the potential of polymer technology developed at Case, including stimuli-responsive polymer gels, high strength/ultralight polymer AeroclayTM nanocomposites, “smart” polymers with built-in deformation and temperature sensors and shape memory materials. Museum educator Bob Bartolotta complemented the Case team by showing a microscopic view of Nature’s materials as well as one of Natures better chemist’s - a live spider.
Graduate student J.D. Mendez explains the concept of chain molecules.
The public response to “Discovery Days 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007” in which the CASE team participated has been enthusiastic and significant. The events attracted a total of over 12,500 visitors to the Museum of which more than 3,200 toured the Case polymer show. Each year the Museum’s Education Department produces and delivers 30,000 invitations to over 50 Cleveland and East Cleveland municipal schools, and another 5,000 fliers are mailed to youth groups, church groups, and other recreational facilities in Cleveland and East Cleveland. Demographically, the audiences are comprised of people of all ages, with a predominance of young families. The ethnic diversity of this event is the most balanced of any CMNH event, with excellent participation from the African American and Hispanic communities, many of whom are first time visitors to the museum.
As far as the new “Nature’s Materials” program is concerned, it proved to be a big hit with both children and adults alike. Perhaps the public response is best summarized by a question from a mother of four young girls who asked Profs. Rowan and Weder, “Do you guys do birthday parties?” The event allows the Case students to present complex scientific themes in laymen’s terms to a very diverse audience. They consider the program to be a most enjoyable experience, and each year the students are exhilarated by the continuous stream of visitors. The format allows the Case team to interact with the public in a quite personal basis, while at the same time enabling them to reach out to a sizable section of the local community. The positive impact of this now well-established program bodes well for the future of this event.
Graduate student Kadhiravan Shanmuganathan shows of a dispersion of cellulose nanofibers that are extracted from renewable biomass and used to create biomimetic, adaptive polymers. |
