Chemical Engineering Club

AIChE at USC is the "chemical engineering club" at the University of Southern California. It is a local chapter of the larger organization known as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), which supports students studying and interested in chemical engineering. AIChE at USC wants to increase its outreach efforts and connection to the local community. As a STEM organization, it feels that teaching science and engineering to young people is a great way to give back. Everyone in AIChE at USC is eager to partner with A Place Called Home to excite students about a fascinating field that needs young and enthusiastic minds now more than ever!

Plastics are everywhere around us. Just in our homes there are garbage bags, cups, disposable bottles, combs, game controllers, straws, and even clothing – all made from plastic. But as different as plastics can look and feel, they are similar in two ways: 1) they are a material that can be molded into many shapes, and 2) they are all made up of polymers, which are molecules that are repeated over and over again in a chain.

So what are plastics made of and how are they made? Try this week’s experiment to turn milk into plastic (yes, really!) and check out the videos to find out.