Education
In-Class Science Demonstrations
The MRSEC has a wide assortment of demonstration materials for in-class science demonstrations. Not only are we happy to provide training and financial support to help teachers bring these demonstrations into their classrooms, but we can also provide volunteers to present the demonstrations in-person in the classroom. The links above provide some more details on the types of demonstrations available. If you don't see what you're looking for, please let us know what you have in mind, and maybe we can work together to make a new demo!
To arrange a demonstration for your class during a visit to Penn State or for us to present the demonstrations in-person in your classroom contact the Outreach Coordinators.
Classroom Demonstrations
Chills and Thrills of Low Temperature Physics
In the one hour demonstration show "Chills and Thrills of Low Temperature Physics," MRSEC faculty and graduate students introduce participants to the concept of absolute zero, phase transitions and some of the thrilling phenomena that occur at low temperatures. (Image Caption: Graduate Student James Kurtz demonstrates the power of a phase transition by imploding a soda can.)
LED Flashlights
By the end of this workshop, middle or high school participants will know how a light emitting diode (LED) works, how LEDs are different from regular light bulbs and why this is important, how they can make an electrical circuit to power an LED, and will have built their own LED flashlight. Along the way, participants in this workshop also learn about the nature of light and the basics of digital displays, resistors and soldering. (Image Caption: Graduate Student Tim Bogart explains how to solder a switch for an LED flashlight without melting the switch.)
Smart Sensors
During this workshop, middle or high school participants learn about the attributes and advantages of smart sensors. Participants are challenged to explain the workings of a commercial motion detector through the observation of its stimulus and response to various materials and conditions. During a tour of some interesting sensors participants are asked to observe, describe and hypothesize about the properties of various sensors. After constructing models of a PVDF monomer and polymer, participants investigate the piezoelectric and pyroelectric response of a PVDF film and are asked to interpret their experimental results using their models. (Image Caption: Using a molecular model kit, many monomers are linked together to form a long chain to represent a polymer.)
Materials Matter
The theme of the hour long show is micro makes macro. Each vignette within the show has a macro part which demonstrates the actual material, such as a shape memory alloy, polymerizing gummy worms, or a zeolite atomic sieve. The micro part then uses a mechanical model to demonstrate to the naked eye what's happening on the atomic scale in the real material to give it that funky property. (Image Caption: Graduate Student Dave Fleming demonstrates how electronic ink works using the egg tray and ping pong balls.)
Programs for Teachers
