The Scott Family AMAZEUM 

Maker Days 2023

 Schools across NW Arkansas take pictures and videos that are shared on social media using the hashtag #NWAMakerDays. The community can follow along on social media to celebrate and be inspired by what each school is doing

AAA is a PROUD participant for the 2nd Annual MAKER DAYS!

For the second year in a row AAA has participated in the Scott Family Amazeum NWA Maker Days! This year two of our AMAZING science teachers planned their projects to take place during the NWA Maker Days.  Thank you to Mrs. Amy Foust who teaches Middle School Science and High School Human Anatomy and Phisiology and Mrs. Susan Kedrowski who teaches High School Chemistry.  

FREAKY  PHISIOLOGY

Students in Mrs. Foust's Human Anatomy and Phyisiology collaborated with the Director of Arts Integration, Mr. Jones, to create scientific illustrative compositions as an Arts Integration Project.  During the spring semester students have been studing various systems of the human body.  To showcase their gained scientific knowledge the class picked up paint brushes to create anatomically correct scientific illustrations of assigned systems. 

Hear it from the Teacher

"The students in Anatomy and Physiology picked this science class because it offers an in-depth exploration of the human body, its structure, its functions, and its composition. Bodies can be broken down into their components (cells make organs which make organ systems etc) and also into respective systems with organs all working toward a singular purpose (the digestive system is comprised of organs to aid in digestion, the nervous system is made of nerves and the brain working together to control the body and interpret the senses). These art pieces were created to highlight the different systems and the organs that aid in their functions. Just as the characters in Freaky Friday switch bodies, so too can the audience interact with the pieces to see what our examples look like imposed on their own body. "     

                  -Mrs. Amy Foust, AAA HS Science Teacher 

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The arts integration project was planned between Mrs. Foust and Mr. Jones as an opportunity for students to transalte scientific observation to an art form.  The original concept was to have students create individual scientific illustrations on paper to be displayed during the performances of the high school musical "Freaky Friday".  However, the project evolved into a larger and more exciting experience.

The Scott Family Amazeum hosts an annual NWA Maker Days event which invites schools to participate in hands-on STEAM inspired activities and share the process with educators across Northwest Arkansas.  The Amazeum offers participating schools up to $500 for supplies to make their projects a successful experience. 

With the generous educational funding from the Amazeum for the NWA Maker Days event the Science Arts Integration project became a BIGGER and BETTER educational opportunity!  We decided to make the scientific illustrations of the systems at a life size scale!  AND we had students use their newly applied skills of painting and color theory to apply the illustrations on large sheets of clear vinyl!

The life size systems on clear vinyl were  displayed during the performances of the high school musical Freaky Friday.  Individuals attending the performances "posed" behind the "Freaky Physiology Systems" and took Freaky Physiology Selfies! 

Congratualtions Mrs. Foust and students on an "Amazing" project!  And THANK YOU to the Scott Family Amazeum for your continued support to education! 

STUDENT PROCESS AND WORK

The Exhibition

The scientific illustrated systems were displayed in the high school commons during performance dates for the musical production of Freaky Friday.  Students, parents, teachers and visitors participated in the interactive display be taking pictures and selfies.

Other educators and their classes joined in activating the commons for the musical  producation, which included: Culinary classes that made delictable treats  and high school Drawing/Design 2 class that produced etchings with an aging theme tied to the theme of the musical. 

#NWAMakerDays CHEMISTRY

The CHEMISTRY of ART

Meet the EXTRAORDINARY educator Mrs. Susan Kedrowski!  Mrs. K teaches an aplethera of science classes at AAA, but this project involves her Chemistry classes.  At the beginning of the year Mrs. Kedrowski approached the Director of Arts Integration, Mr. Jones, with ideas after reading the book Active Chemistry: Project-Based Inquire Approach developed by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.  Throughout the school year the team have piloted science experiences with engaging arts integration projects for classes.  We also plan to develop a comprehensive series of projects that fuse chemistry and the arts.

Electroplating Cuttlefish Casting

While this sounds like an innovative fishing technique for a specific species, it's actually a scientific/ arts integration experiment.  During the NWA Maker Days event last year the elementary learned how to cast small metal objects using the Cuttlefish Casting Method. This year the high school is taking the process to another level!  Students will use the same process to create a metal object, but then learn the process of electroplating (apply a copper layer over the cast metal). 

Cuttlefish? Yes, we are taking the bones from those cute, aquatic cephalopods and will use them as molds to pour hot, molten metal into them to create a miniture metal cast.  These small metal casts will then be submerged into an electrofied liquid solution with copper metal.  The electrons of the copper particles break from their original and chemically bond on top of the introduced metal creating a thin plated layer of copper.  SCIENCE IS AWESOME!        ...except for maybe the cuttlefish.

Cuttlefish Fact: Did you know that bones of the cuttlefisn have been used a as a metal casting method since the 6th century BCE?

THE CUTTLEFISH CASTING AND ELECTROPLATING PROCESS

Materials you will need: safety goggles, gloves, cuttlefish bones, saw blades, pliers, metal nail file, low fire metal that is lead free (pewter), play sand, carving tools/ toothpicks, metal hot plate, cast iron plate, containers.

Because our metal casts need to be small we are cutting the cuttlefish bones in half.  Any smal sawblade should work  (I advise sawing from the soft inner side).

Once halves are cut use sandpaper to sand the soft inner side of the cuttlefish bone to create a flat surface (Avoid the harder external side of the cuttlefish bone). 

Next, have students carve or press an object into the soft side of the cuttle fish.  You will need small carving tools to ensure the carving or impressions are deep enough and have details. 

Due to the number of students we are using an open cuttlefish bone instead of closed casting. 

Fill small containers with play sand. This will safely catch the overflow of the liquified metal.Place the finished carved/ imprinted cuttlefish bone on top of the sand making it as level as possible. 

Place your pewter ingots into the metal hot pot.  It should take 3-5 minutes to reach 500 degrees for the metal to melt.  Once melted carefully pour the metal in your cuttlefish mold. 

Allow 30 minutes for the metal to cool. Turn the cuttlefish bone over and the metal cast will fall out. 

Use pliers and a file to trim and file the edges of the cast. Save the overflow and excess metal to be re-used. 

Next is the electroplating process Metal ions (copper) migrate via a solution from a positive electrode to a negative one.

An electrical current passing through the solution causes objects at the cathode to be coated by the metal in the solution.  

The final result will be a plated metal cast.  For our experiment we learned that copper does not plate on pewter as well as it does on nickel. 

STUDENT PROCESS AND COMPLETED CASTINGS

THANK YOU 

SCOTT FAMILY AMAZEUM!

#NWAMakerDays