Jasti Group Hosts Steppingstone Foundation Students
In June of 2012, the Jasti Research Group hosted a group of students from the Steppingstone Foundation as part of Professor Jasti’s chemistry and nanotechnology outreach commitment. The Steppingstone Foundation is a non-profit organization that develops and implements programs which prepare urban schoolchildren for educational opportunities that lead to college success.
The students learned about the nanoscale world of matter and how nanotechnology research is going to be particularly important for society in the upcoming years. They also viewed a number of demonstrations that illustrated major concepts of chemistry, such as catalysis and the process of dehydration. The demos ended with a bang – literally – as the students saw how a Pringles® Chips can could be turned into a rocket, a live demonstration of how combustion works.
The students also had the chance to participate in hands on activities. In the lab, the kids synthesized Nylon 6-6, while simultaneously learning about polymers and how abundant and important they are to modern society. The students were challenged to a little friendly competition to see who could synthesize the longest piece of Nylon. The group that won produced a piece of nylon that was nearly 10 feet in length!
The day wrapped up with a little hang time and lots of pizza.
