Chemistry

Role

As a Chemical Engineer for a growing composites company, you are part of the leadership team working with manufacturers to help them understand the properties of carbon fiber and how this material can be a valuable asset in the production of many products.

Audience

You and the team will be presenting to a number of people from an established manufacturing company. This company has been producing successful products for a number of years and is skeptical about changing the composition of products to include carbon fiber. You will need to help them understand the long- term benefits of using these materials and how consumers can benefit from the inclusion of carbon fiber.

Situation

Carbon fiber is a lightweight material used in composites. It is typically blended with some type of epoxy. To create these composites, companies use time, temperature, and pressure to create strong, lightweight materials that can be molded for a variety of purposes. These composites are now used in industries as varied as aerospace, medicine and sports. As part of the leadership team for a growing composites company, you will need to review the products produced by this manufacturing company. Choose one product produced and create a presentation demonstrating the value of carbon fiber for this product. You will need to educate them regarding the chemistry and development of carbon fiber. They will need to understand the properties of this material and how it will benefit the development and long-term use of this product for customers.

Below are the three products you can choose to create. There is a description of each task and the rubric above it. In order to develop your product you will need to do some research to inform your design. Read through the articles and watch videos to learn more about Carbon Fibers and how they are used in manufacturing and feel free to look for additional resources to support your learning.

Video: How It's Made: Carbon Fiber

Video: Carbon Fiber: The Material of the Future

Article 1: Audi: Carbon Fiber is too Expensive

Article 2: Composite Material Use

Article 3: BMW Bets on Carbon Fiber

Article 4: Russian Jets

Article 5: Carbon Fiber: How its Used Today

Brainstorm Ideas

It's time to think about product development. You will begin with ideation, which is the start of the creative process. During the ideation phase, you will brainstorm with your group about all the potential ways you could approach this product. Remember, the more creative and innovative your ideas are at this stage, the better! Your group will need to check and make sure that each of your initial ideas are meeting the requirements related to the goal, audience and product description. What are the directions or criteria that need to be followed? Who is your audience and what will they need from this product?

Analyze & Decide

As you discuss the possibilities during your brainstorming, you will narrow the ideas down to those that seem like they would best solve the problem or address the challenge. Once you have narrowed down to two or three ideas, grab some paper and a pencil and make an outline or sketch a plan for each one. What will the product need to include? How will you best use the information that you found in your research to create it? What would the product look like based upon each idea?

After outlining your product ideas. Discuss with your group and decide on ONE that you would like to move forward with. When you have selected one idea, you will move on to the creation phase, keeping in mind that you may go through several rounds of creation and revision before you are ready to present.

Create & Revise

It is possible that while you are creating the first version of your product, you will develop more questions that need to be answered before you can continue. If so, you may need to do additional research. Reflect on how any new information affects your product and make revisions as needed.

Your group should also be looking at the rubric during the creation phase. Here, you can practice thinking critically and collaborating with your peers to understand what needs to be included in your product. Then, you should reflect on whether or not your initial work meets those criteria. If you realize that it does not, you may need to go back and make additional revisions.

As you work through the process of creating and revising your product, communication with your teacher and classmates will be very valuable. Asking for help and discussing your product with others can help you clarify whether or not your product meets the goal of the task and is appropriate for the audience.

Remember, creating this product is a fun opportunity to apply what you have learned about important topics in a more creative and independent way.

Congratulations - You finished! Now take some time to reflect on the process. Look at the questions below to guide your reflection.

What classroom content did you use to create your products and solve the issue/challenge?

What skills did you use (21st century skills) to work through the task and finish the project?

What problems did you encounter while you were working on this task? How did you solve them?

What did you learn were your greatest strengths? Your biggest areas for improvement?

What part of your work are you most proud of? What would you do differently next time? Why?