RET Site for Sustainable Polymer Engineering Research

可持续聚合物工程研究 RET 网站

• 批准号: 1855290
• 负责人: SARAH MORGAN
• 金额: $ 57.84万
• 依托单位: University of Southern Mississippi
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2024-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1855290&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RET; Site; Sustainable; Polymer; Engineering

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Polymer Science and Engineering's (SPSE) RET Site for Sustainable Polymer Engineering Research (RET) will host local community college instructors and high school teachers for a six-week summer research experience with polymer science and engineering faculty to perform research in the area of sustainable materials. Teachers will work in pairs with faculty and student researchers in efforts focused on addressing 21st century grand challenges in engineering in three areas: (1) reducing waste through design of degradable and bio-based polymers, (2) improving water quality through polymer sensors and delivery vehicles, and (3) enabling alternative energy approaches with high performance polymers. The goal is to build professional relationships between faculty researchers and local teachers to improve teacher and student understanding of materials research, and promote student interest in science and engineering. Science and engineering are crucial for the nation's sustained economic strength and security, and there is a critical shortage of U.S. students pursuing engineering careers today. The proposed research in sustainable materials has direct impact on the key economic drivers in the State of Mississippi in areas that are highly relevant to teachers, students, and their families. Teachers will gain appreciation for polymer engineering by working in the laboratory, attending short courses, touring the research facilities, taking field trips to local polymer industry, and attending faculty research presentations. Teachers will develop activities and laboratory modules based on their summer research for implementation in their classrooms. USM faculty and graduate students will visit teacher classrooms during the school year to help in delivery of the research-based activities. It is expected that interaction with graduate students (who are closer in age to community college and high school students) will help encourage K-14 students to pursue studies and careers in science and engineering. Teachers will make their curricular modules available to other teachers by publishing them on the RET website, demonstrating them at the MS Science Teachers Association Annual Meeting, and publishing in Teach Engineering. Teachers will be recruited from institutions with high minority and poverty-level underserved student populations, to help broaden participation in science and engineering. The sustainable materials engineering research platform of the RET site provides the framework to build long-term relationships between engineering faculty and teachers while providing cutting-edge research experiences that are readily incorporated into high school and community college science curricula. The increasing demand for energy and use of hydrocarbons create a wide range of issues, such as the Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill of 2010 off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as opportunities, such as production of biodegradable polymers and alternative energy development, which have high impact on Mississippi teachers and students. The proposed RET will immerse high school teachers and community college faculty in sustainable polymer engineering research in efforts aligned with the National Academy 21st Century Grand Challenges of Engineering, including providing access to clean water and making solar energy affordable. Teachers will develop research-based classroom modules aligned with the MS College and Career Readiness Standards for Science. The proposed effort is transformative in providing avenues to engage the public in the impact of sustainable materials engineering research through relevant research experiences that will resonate with teachers, students and parents. The proposed research has direct impact on the key economic drivers in the State of Mississippi: energy, agriculture, and marine/coastal activities. Teachers will gain hands-on experience in the processes by which materials research addresses sustainability challenges and will develop tools to engage students in the engineering enterprise, encouraging them to pursue science and engineering careers. Teachers will be recruited from schools with high minority and free and reduced lunch student populations, and research modules will be broadly disseminated. A week-long workshop for middle school teachers will be implemented to broaden the reach of the program to younger students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

南密西西比大学（USM）聚合物科学与工程学学院（SPSE）RET网站可持续聚合物工程研究（RET）将接待当地社区大学教师和高中教师，以在聚合物科学和工程师的六周夏季研究经验中，以在可持续材料领域进行研究。 教师将与教职员工和学生研究人员成对工作，致力于解决三个领域的21世纪工程挑战：（1）通过设计可降解和基于生物的聚合物的设计减少浪费，（2）通过聚合物传感器和递送工具改善水质，以及（3）实现高性能性能性能的替代能源方法。目的是建立教师研究人员和当地教师之间的专业关系，以提高教师对材料研究的理解，并促进学生对科学和工程学的兴趣。 科学和工程对于美国持续的经济实力和安全至关重要，并且今天从事工程职业的美国学生严重短缺。拟议的可持续材料研究直接影响密西西比州的主要经济驱动因素，该地区与教师，学生及其家人高度相关。教师将通过在实验室工作，参加短课程，参观研究设施，进行当地聚合物行业的实地考察以及参加教师研究演讲，从而获得对聚合物工程的赞赏。 教师将根据他们的夏季研究来开发活动和实验室模块，以便在教室中实施。 USM教职员工和研究生将在学年期间访问教师教室，以帮助提供基于研究的活动。可以预期，与研究生（与社区大学和高中生更接近的研究生互动）将有助于鼓励K-14学生从事科学和工程学的学习和职业。 教师将通过在RET网站上发布他们的课程模块，向其他老师提供他们的课程模块，并在MS Science教师协会年度会议上展示他们，并在Teach Engineering发表。教师将从少数民族和贫困水平的学生群体的机构中招募，以帮助扩大科学和工程学的参与。 RET网站的可持续材料工程研究平台为建立工程教师与教师之间建立长期关系的框架提供了尖端的研究经验，这些研究经验很容易纳入高中和社区大学科学课程中。对能源的需求不断增长和碳氢化合物的使用引起了广泛的问题，例如密西西比州墨西哥湾沿岸2010年的深水地平线BP漏油以及机会，例如生物降解的聚合物的生产以及对密西西比州教师和学生产生重大影响的替代能源开发。拟议中的RET将在可持续聚合物工程研究中浸入高中教师和社区学院，以与21世纪21世纪工程学院的巨大挑战保持一致，包括提供清洁水和使太阳能负担得起。教师将开发基于研究的课堂模块，该模块与MS大学和科学的职业准备标准保持一致。拟议的努力是在提供途径通过相关研究经验的可持续材料工程研究影响的途径的变革性，这些研究经验将引起教师，学生和父母的共鸣。拟议的研究直接影响了密西西比州的主要经济驱动因素：能源，农业和海洋/沿海活动。教师将在材料研究应对可持续性挑战的过程中获得动手经验，并将开发工具使学生参与工程企业，鼓励他们从事科学和工程职业。教师将从少数族裔，免费和减少午餐学生人群的学校中招募，研究模块将被广泛传播。将为中学教师进行为期一周的研讨会，以扩大该计划对年轻学生的影响力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并且使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，被认为值得通过评估来获得支持。

项目成果

ReflectSim: an open-source software for teaching optical light reflection of nanostructured materials

• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/ac56b2
• 发表时间: 2022-02
• 期刊: European Journal of Physics
• 影响因子: 0.7
• 作者: Clayton Keene;M. Robertson;Gautam Sarkar;Jessica King;Zhe Qiang

Hands-on Laboratory Experiments for Demonstrating Mixed Plastic Recycling

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00702
• 发表时间: 2022-11
• 期刊: Journal of Chemical Education
• 影响因子: 3
• 作者: Mikaela Sadri;Paul Smith;Samaria Spears;Jonathan Perkins;Carl Dewitt;Shane Savannah;Cameron Butler;Zhe Qiang