Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T06:40:18.420Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Integrating the NAE Grand Challenges and Holographically-formed Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Thin Films (H-PDLC) into the Kenyan High School Curriculum.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2013

Jared P. Coyle  and
Adam K. Fontecchio
Jared P. Coyle
Affiliation:
Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A.
Adam K. Fontecchio
Affiliation:
Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A.
Get access

Abstract

Access to cutting-edge technologies in materials science and engineering within K-12 education is a great struggle in developing countries. In this work, a problem-based, hands on set of seven modules for integrating Holographically-formed Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (H-PDLC) Bragg Grating thin films into the Kenyan secondary physics, chemistry and mathematics curriculum is proposed. Through funding provided by the National Science Foundation, a pilot study of the integration of these modules, using the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering as a contextual vessel, is carried out. The efficacy of these curriculum-integrated modules in communicating real world materials science and engineering challenges is examined using qualitative and quantitative means. A method for expanding the use of this experience with other graduate students is proposed.

Keywords

educationliquid crystalholography
Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1532: Symposium ZZ – Communicating Social Relevancy in Materials Science and Engineering Education , 2013 , mrsf12-1532-zz04-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2013

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Hanushek, E. A. and Luque, J. A., “Efficiency and equity in schools around the world,” Economics of Education Review, vol. 22, pp. 481–502, Oct 2003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shriyan, S. K., Schundler, E., Schwarze, C., and Fontecchio, A. K., “Electro-optic polymer liquid crystal thin films for hyperspectral imaging,” Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, vol. 6, Jul 3 2012.Google Scholar
Liu, Y. J., Zhang, B., Jia, Y., and Xu, K. S., “Improvement of the diffraction properties in holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal bragg gratings,” Optics Communications, vol. 218, pp. 27–32, Mar 15 2003.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2011). Grand Challenges for Engineering. Available: http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/ Google Scholar
Coyle, J. P. and Fontecchio, A. K., “Subway map visualization tool for integrating the NAE Grand Challenges for Engineering into the Philadelphia and Kenyan high school chemistry curricula,” The American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference 2012, 2012.Google Scholar
Ward, J. and Fontecchio, A. K., “Work in Progress: The NAE Grand Challenges, High School Curricula and Graduate Student Research,” in 2012 Frontiers in Education Conference, Seattle, WA, 2012, pp. 120–121.Google Scholar