Lessons from the Glass Science Kit
The United Nations declared 2022 as the International Year of Glass! We created this kit to celebrate glass and its unique properties.
Here you will find all of the lessons included in our Glass Science Kit to help introduce students to the concepts of glass science. The Glass Science Kit features three demonstrations geared toward teachers in a classroom setting. The lessons were developed by Materials Scientist and Assistant Professor of Physics Dr. Casey Schwarz at Ursinus College and Ursinus College graduate Mr. Quentin Altemose.
Each kit includes most materials needed for the three demonstrations, illustrated lesson plans with background information, detailed instructions, and safety precautions, and links to additional educational resources to continue learning.
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Water Pods
Bioactive glass microbeads are a common tool utilized for drug delivery in the pharmaceutical and medical industries. Students will observe the formation of water pod spheres, the concept of encapsulation of liquids within spheres, and the ability of said spheres to interact with and break down in the body.
Candy Glass
Glass is a unique material because its viscosity slowly decreases as heat is applied until it flows in a similar fashion to water. Students will make their own candy sugar glass. Students will learn about common glass processing and characterizations including fiber pulling, composition, and refractive index.
Light Refraction
Students will test dispersion of white light through a prism and learn about the index of refraction by shining monochromatic light through different materials such as glass, water, oil, and candy glass. Students will investigate the refraction of light traveling from air into glass using a semicircular acrylic glass.
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