Summary
Authors describe the implementation and outcomes of an outreach program that spanned three class periods for high school students in Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES) or Chemistry (APC). The outreach activities described herein encompass environmental chemistry, sustainable chemistry, polymer chemistry, materials science, ocean ecology, and computational chemistry.
The first class period covered the impact of plastics on our environment while also introducing students to polymerization reactions Specifically, it includes: (1) Case studies - Impact of plastics in our oceans and reducing the amount of plastic waste in our oceans. (2) Introduction to the history, chemistry and physics of plastics. (3) Model Kits to understand the same cross-linked plastic polymers. (4). Viewing the Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Polyethylene and Polyvinylchloride polymers. (5) Homework: Find a reference that explains what molecular dynamics simulations are and why they are useful in chemistry.
Second class period for APC includes: (1) Post-survey from first day. (2) A brief explanation of the tutorial and review of the physics of plastics: what are molecular dynamics simulations? what is density, diffusion and Young’s Modulus? (3). Student's learn about models and measurements hands-on (a) Drawing 2D structure of teams’ plastic, start with the monomeric building block, and then draw a multimer - winner gets candy. (b) Generating hypotheses on plastics ability to float at the ocean surface based on the density of different types of plastics in the ocean from measurements of plastic pellets weight and size. (c) Use Model kits to build teams plastic structure where each member of the team makes their own monomer - winner gets candy. (d) Use Model kits to build the 3D structure of two monomers of polyethylene terephthalate linked together- winner gets a candy bar. (e) Build plastic polymers using computer software Maestro (hands-on) provided through AWS Instances. 4. Closing questions, awards, and plans remarks
Third class period includes summative assessment. Each group of students will choose one of the following options for a summative assessment: (1) (Difficult) Create a video on Moovly using images taken from Maestro that ties the chemistry of plastics with the case study the group was investigating. Include in this video a definition of Young’s modulus, density, and diffusion. (2) (Difficult) Present the case study to a local elementary school as an outreach assignment and go through the same tutorial with elementary school students. Use metaphors to explain what density is, what diffusion is, and what Young’s modulus is. Include a section of the outreach program. (3) (Medium) Write an opinion piece on why being able to describe the chemistry of plastics was important to fundamentally understand your case study. This will include providing feedback on other students’ opinion pieces and multiple rounds of edits. Include a clear and concise definition of Young’s modulus and how this was calculated from a stress strain curve. Relate this to microplastic formation in your opinion piece. (4) (Medium) Complete a lab report that includes the plots for the density profiles, diffusion coefficients, and stress-strain curves from the tutorial. Calculate Young’s modulus from the stress-strain curve. Do the densities and Young’s modulus values compare with those from the Schrodinger handout? Why or why not? What other sorts of information could be gleaned from the molecular dynamics trajectories that could be useful for engineering better more biodegradable plastics?
Active learning strategies, including metacognitive assessments, process-oriented inquiry-based learning (POGIL), and peer instruction, were incorporated into the outreach curriculum to enhance student learning outcomes. Through these learning approaches, students learn the differences in chemical structures of common plastics and how these differences define which plastics readily break down into microplastics in the ocean.
Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
The paper deals with systems thinking and sustainable development.
Authors describe the curriculum for an outreach program that used a systems-thinking approach to present the societal and ocean environmental impact, chemical structure, and material properties of plastics. The 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals include “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, with emphasis on preventing, reducing, recycling and reusing” plastics and other products. The hands-on systems-thinking approach used in this outreach program coupled with one of the two mentioned summative assessments would help students to think like scientists even in a nonformal laboratory setting, as has been shown to be valuable in education for sustainable development.
