Polymer Processing Equipment for an Innovative Undergraduate Materials Curriculum

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This project employs the unifying approach of the new materials synthesis and processing curriculum in the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Program to the laboratory setting. The curriculum is based on the innovations in the content and pedagogy of materials science instruction as reported by The Materials Research Society, the American Society of Engineering Education, the NSF Undergraduate Materials Education Workshop, and The Metallurgical Society. The new curriculum provides a core for the study of all classes of engineered materials. The four elements of this core - microstructure, properties, processing and performance - comprise the adaptation of the holistic approach to the study of materials science and engineering. Strong emphasis on materials synthesis and processing is a special feature of the new curriculum, a key component of which is the intensive junior-level laboratory course. The adaptation of the holistic approach to materials processing is completed by the inclusion of polymer processing equipment in the laboratory which, heretofore, had limited capabilities. This laboratory now includes the examination of processing induced orientation effects on polymer properties. The high degree of molecular alignment that can be achieved in polymers and the associated limitations in shaping capabilities are typical of the microstructure-processing interactions at the core of the new curriculum. The hands-on lab course cuts across the materials classes, stressing central microstructural phenomena and their interactions with shaping and treating operations. The project enhances undergraduate materials design experiences throughout the engineering curriculum and reinforces the educational goal of connecting course material with industrial practice.