The purpose of this K-12 Module is to discuss water filtration and the challenges that arise from pollution/contamination. Students will learn about the various techniques to clean water, the factors that can influence available treatment options, and the barriers that determine who can get access to clean water.
The lecture portion of the module will cover the background and history of water purification, the contaminants in water, the overall water filtration process done by industrial companies, the different filtration methods used by companies, and the work that...
Module Topics
Process Design/Development
Module details
Topics
Process Design/Development
Best-suited audience
Array
Interactive?
Yes
Approx. time requirement
60 minutes
Approx. # of volunteers
5
Recommended audience size
Any size
Audience best suited for module
Ninth Grade to Twelfth Grade (approximately ages 14-18)
Is the module interactive ? (Can students actively participate)
Yes
Approximate time that the module requires (minutes)
In this combination demonstration-experiment, students practice engineering-style thinking by dividing an existing process into distinct steps, organizing those steps in sequence, and considering the logistical changes in scale, equipment, and factors unique to the product at hand. Then, they dive deeper into the concept of oxidation in food and how an engineer in the food industry might approach this challenge.
Module Topics
Biochemistry
Process Design/Development
Module details
Topics
Biochemistry, Process Design/Development
Best-suited audience
Array
Interactive?
Yes
Approx. time requirement
25 minutes
Approx. # of volunteers
1
Recommended audience size
Any size
Audience best suited for module
Ninth Grade to Twelfth Grade (approximately ages 14-18)
Is the module interactive ? (Can students actively participate)
Yes
Approximate time that the module requires (minutes)
We teach students about different sources of power, including oil, solar, wind, and nuclear, and the various pros and cons of each as well as how they are used to generate power. Then, we create small catapults to demonstrate the conversion of energy from potential to kinetic.
Module Topics
Renewable Energy
Module details
Topics
Renewable Energy
Best-suited audience
Array
Interactive?
Yes
Approx. time requirement
25 minutes
Approx. # of volunteers
2
Recommended audience size
Any size
Audience best suited for module
Ninth Grade to Twelfth Grade (approximately ages 14-18)
Is the module interactive ? (Can students actively participate)
Yes
Approximate time that the module requires (minutes)
The objective of our module is to teach young and aspiring students about the concept of the natural indicator. Our project also gives the students a visualization of changing color using turmeric as a natural indicator. Through our experiment, we visually confirm the change in color using turmeric when we add acid and base. Our module has a full-fledged presentation explaining how and when color change occurs with a proper demonstration for the optimal understanding of the students.
Basic knowledge of indicators helps students understand much broader concepts like...
Module Topics
Physical Chemistry
Module details
Topics
Physical Chemistry
Best-suited audience
Array
Interactive?
Yes
Approx. time requirement
2 minutes
Approx. # of volunteers
4
Recommended audience size
Any size
Audience best suited for module
Sixth Grade to Eighth Grade (approximately ages 11-14)
Is the module interactive ? (Can students actively participate)
Yes
Approximate time that the module requires (minutes)
Students will demonstrate the principles behind liquid-liquid extraction and salting-out. These two are very important chemical processes for extraction and purification of materials. With this module’s experiment, they will replicate these processes and visually understand how they really work.
Dr. Andrew Ellington received his B.S. in Biochemistry from Michigan State University in 1981, and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard in 1988. His post-doctoral work was with Dr. Jack Szostak at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he developed methods for the in vitro selection of functional nucleic acids and coined the term 'aptamer.' He originally received the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator, Cottrell, and Pew Scholar awards, and later was a Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellow of the DoD and a Howard Hughes Professor....Read more
Jay Fitzgerald is the Chief Scientist for the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as well as the Program Manager for the BETO Data, Modeling, and Analysis subprogram.
As BETO's Chief Scientist, Jay helps guide scientific program direction for the conversion of biomass and waste resources into low-carbon fuels, chemicals, and materials. He specifically focuses on sustainable aviation fuel, engineering biology, performance-advantaged bioproducts, life-cycle assessment, and plastic redesign and recycling.
