“Polymer Magic Show” features minds-on and hands-on activities related to polymeric materials at local elementary and middle schools. Planned experiments include Borax-glue: Slime and Bouncy Balls (polymer crosslinking affect the property of material), Jelly Beads - Alginate Crosslinking (the formation of hydrogel through cross-linking), Superabsorbent Polymer Gel (polymer that can absorb and retain extremely large amounts of water relative to its own mass), Tyndall Effects of Nanomaterials (light scattering of nanomaterials). We will explain the underlying science behand these “magic” phenomena to the young minds, aiming to spark curiosity and excitement for science and potentially ignite a passion for a future career in the STEM field.
We had a great day at Archimedean Academy on polymers! Students really enjoyed the artifical snow, water beads, and all kinds of hands-on fun experiments with sodium alginate. Many thanks to @group_zhang for your amazing efforts!
We performed hands-on experiments on degradable polymer synthesis, purification, and self-assembly, and used the Tyndall effects to determine if we had made nanoparticles in water. All undergraduate students and graduate students had a great time together!
The Young Scholars Program (YSP) is a unique experiential learning summer program that pairs high school students with faculty mentors within the College of Arts and Sciences, so that they may participate in high-level research and scholarly work in a real, working laboratory.
The South Florida Research Consortium’s Undergraduate Research Internship Program (URIP) provides high quality, paid research internships to The Honors College STEM students at Miami Dade College at research-intensive universities across South Florida.