The CHEES Research team under Dr. Landaverde-Alvarado was invited to table at the World of Engineering on November 2nd, an event dedicated to showcasing various topics of STEM to K-12 students.

Our demonstration included a sustainable design mini extruder and a polarizing microscope. Attendees were encouraged to start at the mini extruder section to learn more about the lab’s hands on process and were able to assist in turning the extruder’s handle to melt the pellets into a longhorn mold. After, they would head towards the polarizing microscope side to hear more about the analysis process where attendees were encouraged to adjust the microscope’s fine tuner knob to focus on a lab made sample.

From left to right: Antoine Chamoun-Farah, Amanda Nguyen, Emily Mellen, Elliot Bolden, Zane Johnson, and William Cho

After a great experience at the World of Engineering (WoE), the Landaverde-Alvarado Research group was requested to table at a smaller scaled version! The event took place on March 8, 2024, and was hosted at the University of Texas at Austin.

A miniature injection molder, extruder, and a polarized trinocular microscope were presented by the team to the K-12 attendees. The demonstration consisted of each student being allowed to adjust, as well as look through the microscope, with guidance from a team member. Each individual participant was encouraged by our members to help us focus on a “blurry” polymer sample we made in our lab. The intriguing images of what students saw before and after focusing could also be captured by our attachable camera.

Polymer samples captured through camera (unfocused and focused with assistance):