What can students do with Popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, tape, laser pointers, microscope slides, and ring stands? How about make a working model of an atomic force microscope (AFM)? That’s what a class of 18 students did during the 2003 summer session while they field-tested the Nanotechnology Module. The Modern Physics Honors class, which was run through Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development, was taught by Naperville North High School (Naperville, IL) physics teacher Kevin Farrell. He took the last three days of the 3-week summer class to conduct the module with his students. “They really enjoyed the hands-on part” of the module, said Kevin. He was also pleased that his high-achieving students were able to exercise their graphing and math skills, as well, with their model AFMs which, like real AFMs, were used to amplify and map out the surface topography of various objects. The activities that preceded the AFM design projects helped prepare students by, for instance, allowing students to experiment with laser beam deflection and amplification of height from the millimeter scale to the centimeter or decimeter scale. During their testing and subsequent oral presentations and demonstrations of their projects, some students were able to use their model AFMs to amplify and graph small details on coins--even the contours of Thomas Jefferson’s profile on a nickel! Such a project is a good macroscale model for real-life AFM instruments used in materials research, which allow scientists to “see” objects that are on the nanometer scale (one-billionth of a meter).

MWM Director Prof. R.P.H. Chang, along with MWM staff Beth Abbott, Matthew Hsu, and Jennifer Cocson, met with several military and university leaders on July 25, 2003, to discuss the upgrading of the MWM modules, which are currently geared to the middle and high school levels, to the undergraduate level. Attendees included Dr. Pablo Arenaz, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP); Dr. Sandra Hurley, Associate Dean of the College of Education at UTEP; Dr. Tom Brady, Dean of the College of Sciences at UTEP; Keith Thompson from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Washington, D.C.); Captain Victor Yu from the United States Military Academy at West Point (West Point, NY); Ray Pawlicki from Picatinny Arsenal (NJ); Dr. John H. Hall, chairperson and professor of Chemistry at Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA); and Dr. Subhash Bhatia, also professor of Chemistry at Morehouse. After an introduction by Prof. Chang and a slide presentation of the overview of the MWM Program by Jennifer and Matthew, participants engaged in some hands-on activities of the Composites Module that illustrated the MWM philosophy. During the afternoon session, led by Prof. Chang, attendees discussed how the group should proceed in this collaborative effort. Some work on the upgrade of the modules was done in previous years, and it may be possible to continue along the same lines. These new undergraduate level modules would employ a multi-disciplinary approach focusing on materials and would target science, non-science, and education majors in a variety of different undergraduate settings. The modules would be created for use in either a newly developed course or an existing course and would incorporate technology, such as computer-driven simulations, to enrich the experience. Additionally, the collaborators intend to include teacher training, as well as assessment and evaluation to gauge the impact of the use of MWM materials in the classroom.

MWM content developers Matthew Hsu and Jennifer Cocson visited Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, on July 21, 2003, to hold a workshop with Liberty Science Center leaders and Picatinny personnel. The goal of the meeting was for MWM and Picatinny to forge a new partnership with Liberty Science Center, whose mission is to be a “learning resource for lifelong exploration of nature, humanity and technology, supporting the growth of our diverse region and promoting informed stewardship of the world.” The hope is that the Liberty Science Center will be a resource for educators and students in New Jersey-area schools and colleges who use MWM materials. After Matthew gave a 20-minute slide presentation of the overview of the MWM Program, Matthew and Jennifer conducted several experiments with the 12 attendees to give them some hands-on experience with the kinds of inquiry-based activities students encounter in the modules. Participants gained a “taste” of the Composites and Smart Sensors modules and were very enthusiastic. Indeed, the modules are very much in line with what the Liberty Science Center promotes in their organization. The meeting concluded with a discussion on the various ways the Liberty Science Center could incorporate and support the use of the MWM Program. Special thanks to Ray Pawlicki, head of the Defense Ordnance Technology Center, who coordinated the event at Picatinny.

On July 16, 2003, teachers participating in the REST and RET programs at Northwestern University--the programs that couple teachers with researchers through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC), respectively--had the opportunity to learn more about one of the new MWM modules, the Nanotechnology Module. Chemistry professor and main faculty developer of the module Hilary Godwin facilitated the hands-on, inquiry-based activities with the +20 teachers, all of whom were from the Chicagoland area and ranged from the middle school to community college levels. It was a chance for participants to learn about some of the unique properties, as well as synthesis and characterization techniques, of objects on the nanoscale (that is, objects that are on the scale of one-billionth of a meter). The event was coordinated by Prof. Teri Odom, Program Director for the NSEC Research Experience for Teachers program; Kathy Cook, Director of Operations and Marketing for the Institute for Nanotechnology; and Laura Ernst, Program Coordinator for MRSEC.

On March 20, 2003, Prof. Kimberly Gray of the Institute for Environmental Catalysis at Northwestern University and her graduate student Alex Agrios held a workshop for area high school teachers at Glenbrook South High School (GBS) (Glenview, IL) on the various hands-on activities of the new MWM module called the Environmental Catalysis Module. The project's goals include giving students a good understanding of what a catalyst is, emphasizing the scope of catalysis research today, and making them more aware of environmental protection. Prof. Gray gave an introductory talk on these topics and described the four exploratory activities: The first activity introduces the concept of catalysis in a visual and dramatic way. Alex demonstrated the use of the catalyst platinum black and how the heat generated by the catalyst can cause paper (such as flash paper) to burn. In the second activity, students conduct an Internet search on catalysis research to emphasize to them the personal relevance of catalysis with regard to environmental issues. In the remaining activities, students analyze different types of catalytic systems, including homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, thermocatalysis, and photocatalysis, all of which are emblematic of a variety of research areas in environmental catalysis. In their study, students focus on concepts such as catalytic selectivity, specificity, poisoning, condition optimization, and waste minimization. In the culminating design project, students are challenged to design, construct, test, and evaluate a unique catalytic deodorizing device. GBS science chair Warren Bjork and Evanston Township High School (Evanston, IL) biology teacher Beth Christiansen attended the workshop, along with MWM staff Matthew Hsu and Jennifer Cocson and module science editor Alice Storti. Prof. Gray is working with Beth and chemistry teacher David Goodspeed at New Trier High School (Wilmette, IL) to field-test the module in their classrooms in May.

On March 28, 2003, MWM visited Picatinny Arsenal in north-central New Jersey in Morris County and held a workshop to kick off a new partnership between MWM and the Department of Defense. Program Director of MWM Prof. R.P.H. Chang introduced the philosophy, module template, and other background information on the MWM Program to the 30+ participants. Workshop attendees included scientists, engineers, and educators from Picatinny Arsenal, Jefferson Township Schools, and County College of Morris. The hope is that these participants will work together to develop partnerships with New Jersey-area schools and colleges to help integrate the MWM program into their school curricula. Matthew Hsu and Jennifer Cocson from Northwestern University and science teacher and module author Kate Heroux from Lake Forest High School (Lake Forest, IL) conducted the Sports Materials Module with the participants. This allowed the participants to gain hands-on experience with the module and learn about the unique approach of the program. Several important government officials spoke at the workshop, emphasizing their strong support of MWM and how its implementation into New Jersey schools and elsewhere will benefit not only budding scientists and engineers, but, indeed, the future of our country. The speakers included Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology Michael Wynne; Director for Defense Research and Engineering Dr. Ronald Sega; Deputy Director for Defense Research and Engineering Dr. John H. Hopps, Jr.; New Jersey Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen; and TACOM-ARDEC Technical Director Michael Devine. Dr. Lannon provided the opening remarks and introductions during the workshop. The event was coordinated by Raymond Pawlicki, head of the Defense Ordnance Technology Center.

Last summer, Neil Schmidgall, a physics teacher at Glenbrook South High School (Glenview, IL) and contributor to the upcoming Nanotechnology Module, participated in the REST program at Northwestern University. REST (Research Experience for Science Teachers) is a summer program offered through NU's Materials Research Center that gives high school teachers the opportunity to do scientific research under the guidance of a faculty member. Neil worked with Dr. Mark Hersam, whose research involves atomic force and scanning tunneling microscopy. While participating in REST, Neil developed 15 high school physics investigations that relate to mechanical and electrical resonance. Two of these activities are similar to those in the Nanotechnology Module, which focuses on the study of materials on the nanometer-size (10-9 m) scale for the purpose of developing practical applications.