Polymer-Based Nanocomposites: An Opportunity for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

这个项目为聋人和重听学生提供了一个参与聚合物领域的课堂和实验室研究工作的机会。一小群大学适龄学生将在暑假期间在塔夫茨大学进行为期六周的实习。课堂和实验部分涉及聚合物分子的化学和物理，聚合物的结晶和熔融，X射线和光与聚合物的相互作用，聚合物的机械性能，以及聚合物的热加工、结构和最终性能之间的联系。为了让学生做好参加科学界的准备，专业前培训的一个重要组成部分被纳入其中，包括讨论研究业绩和学术研究中的诚信问题。实验室研究部分的目标是：让学生接触实验室环境；向他们介绍形成和测试假设的概念；帮助学生在控制变量的同时进行系统研究；说明现代分析设备的使用；并演示处理变量、结构和性质之间的联系。学生将制作并表征由半结晶聚合物基质和有机改性硅酸盐(OMS)组成的聚合物基纳米复合薄膜。这项研究将有助于从根本上了解OMS对半晶聚合物结构和性能的影响。该计划针对弱势少数群体，即聋哑人和重听大学生。更广泛的影响将是通过在他们的教育生活的形成阶段提供积极的科学经验，将聋人和重听学生作为专业人员带入更大的科学界。拟议计划的长期目标是增加聋人和重听学生在科学和工程方面的参与，并为这些学生提供丰富和指导。

This project provides an opportunity for deaf and hard of hearing students to participate in classroom and laboratory research work in the field of polymers. A small group of college-age students will perform an internship at Tufts University for six weeks during the summer. The classroom and laboratory components address the chemistry and physics of polymer molecules, crystallization and melting of polymers, the interaction of X-rays and light with polymers, mechanical properties of polymers, and the connection between thermal processing, structure, and ultimate properties of polymers. To prepare the students for participation in the scientific community, a strong component of pre-professional training is incorporated, including discussion of integrity in the performance of research and in scholarship. The goals of the laboratory research component are to: expose the students to the laboratory environment; introduce them to the concepts of formulating and testing hypotheses; assist students to conduct systematic studies while controlling variables; illustrate the use of modern analytical equipment; and demonstrate the connection between processing variables, structure, and properties. The students will make and characterize polymer-based nanocomposite films comprising a semicrystalline polymer matrix and an organically modified silicate (OMS). This research will contribute to a fundamental understanding of the effects of OMS on the structure and properties of semicrystalline polymers.The program is aimed at a disadvantaged minority population, of deaf and hard of hearing college age students. The broader impact will be to bring deaf and hard of hearing students into the larger scientific community as professionals, by providing positive scientific experiences at a formative time in their educational lives. The long-range goal of the proposed program is to increase participation of deaf and hard of hearing students in science and engineering, and provide enrichment and mentoring for these students.