Nuclear chemistry is a topic of great
societal importance with
applications in the realms of medicine, energy, and national security.
Despite its significance, this area receives little attention in both
K–12 and undergraduate education. This poor coverage arises
in part from the lack of suitable educational resources to illustrate
key concepts of nuclear chemistry. Here, we describe the development
of two activities for the K–12 classroom, which are designed
to assist instructors in communicating several conceptual aspects
of nuclear chemistry. The first of these activities is an interactive
game, called Isotope Rummy, which has been developed as a Lending
Library kit through the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR).
This game informs students on the composition of the nucleus and factors
that determine nuclear stability with respect to radioactive decay.
The second activity, called Radiative versus Radioactive Decay, is
designed for instructor-led outreach workshops or demonstrations.
This activity gives examples of spontaneous radioactive and stimulated
photoluminescent decay. We have performed the activities separately
and together in various high school classrooms and as a full workshop
at a student conference. Feedback obtained from both teachers and
students indicates that these activities are helpful for fostering
an understanding of several key concepts in nuclear chemistry.
Elementary and middle school science curriculums typically focus on generating an interest in science and engineering through the use of hands-on activities that demonstrate specific concepts. Laboratory activities designed in this manner often circumvent some of the main challenges that engineers and scientists face, namely balancing advantages and disadvantages for a variety of potential solutions to solve a specific problem. This activity was designed to show students that different solutions for a given problem can exist, and engineers must manage priorities when choosing the best solution. This laboratory involves cold casting ceramics slurries with varying viscosities into a mold. The resulting casts have a varying final density, controlled by the initial viscosity. Students are presented with different outcome measures regarding the objects they cast: ease of manufacturing, cost, aesthetics, and mechanical properties. Based on the laboratory design, no single cast will perform the best in any of these categories. The students are then asked to choose the best mold, and justify their answers based on the initial problem presented to them by balancing which outcome measures they consider to be important for solving this specific problem. This laboratory teaches basic science concepts like viscosity and density, while addressing common industrial manufacturing issues, such as cost and ease of manufacturing. Through a combination of these features, this laboratory introduces engineering and design concepts using the scientific method to students at an earlier age.
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