Incorporating Polymer Engineering In the Classroom

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

6-24-2017

Abstract

The Research Experience for Teachers in Engineering and Computer Science Site for Sustainable Polymer Engineering Research (RET) at the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials (SPHPM) at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) provides meaningful summer research experiences for teachers in the laboratories of faculty and provides year-long activities to support implementation of research-based curriculum in the classroom. High school teachers and community college faculty are engaged in a six-week summer research and training program in cutting edge research in sustainable polymer engineering. Integrated with the research experience are education and professional development programs, including team-building workshops, short courses in polymer science, field trips to industry, presentation skills development, and workshops in developing activities for laboratory experiments based on their research. Teachers partner with graduate students, who serve as research mentors during the summer and visiting "scientists in the classroom" during the school year. School year activities include field trips to USM, visits of faculty and graduate students to teacher classrooms, graduate student mentoring of high school science and engineering fair projects, presentation by teachers of workshops at the Mississippi Science Teachers Association (MSTA), and participation by teachers in American Chemical Society (ACS) symposia. The research-based classroom activities are disseminated through the RET website and publication in Teach Engineering.

Publication Title

ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings

Volume

2017-June

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