Physical Science

Unit 5: Diversity of Matter

Unit Project 3

Introduction:

Materials are used in every aspect of life, and scientists actively work on making new materials and improving the materials we already use.

Task:

For this project, students will imagine they are part of a research team. Their team is working on a new material and wants to gain continued support for this research.

Process:

Have students work in groups of 2 or 3 and select an area of material science to investigate. They may focus on biomedical, chemical, electronic, or structural materials. They'll need to learn about current research in this area. Is there a specific need that scientists are trying to meet? Is there a new material being developed that may be used in many areas of life? They should choose an actual new material or imagine one of their own – but be sure they can describe its properties. As a group, students need to come up with a persuasive argument in favor of their team's research. They should also be sure to acknowledge challenges or obstacles that may exist. If time permits, the groups can role play their team meetings for the class.

Alternative:

Contact local business or industry representatives who can come to your class and talk about new product development. Have students prepare specific questions ahead of time to ask during a question and answer period.

Resources:

What is Materials Science?

http://www.strangematterexhibit.com/whatis.html

Materials Science and Engineering

http://www.mse.cornell.edu/materials_science_discovering/

http://www.gfe.com/opencms2/opencms/en_gfe-online.de/GfE_Unternehmensprofil/Forschung_und_Entwicklung.html

http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/mccomposite.htm

http://www.intute.ac.uk/sciences/cgi-bin/browse.pl?id=25708

http://mse.stanford.edu/about_mse/index.html

Materials in Everyday Life

http://www.crc4mse.org/MEL/Index.html

Current Topics in Material Science