Polymers in plastics is not the typical topic for a tenth-grade chemistry class, said West Mifflin Area High School teacher Justin Sickles.
But sophomores in two of Sickles' classes got an introduction to the topic via a videoconference with Carnegie Mellon University professor Michael Bockstaller.
"It was really interesting," said Rachel Mauer, 15. Until Bockstaller's talk, she didn't know what a polymer was. But the day after, she could talk readily about their importance in plastic products used every day.
"Professor Bockstaller was very good at keeping the language he used so 16-year-olds could understand," Mauer said.
The videoconference is part of the "Talk to the Professor" program sponsored by CMU's Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The program provides an opportunity for high school students to interact with college teachers and learn more about the department's offerings.
"We want to promote material science among young kids," said Francine Papillon, the department's associate director.
She said high school students usually know little about material science, which includes the study of glass, metal and plastics. But, as Sickles explained, it's important to study how to strengthen metal or improve plastics because those materials are part of so many things we touch daily.
During the videoconference, Bockstaller talked to Sickles' classes about different kinds of polymers -- tiny molecules strung in long chains -- that are found in plastics. He said the students asked questions about how different polymers affect plastic's biodegradability.
"Environmental issues were of much interest to the students," he said.
Adam Graham, 15, another of Sickles' students, said he has always liked science and is contemplating further study in college. Bockstaller's presentation on polymers, plastics and the environment piqued his interest even more.
"That kind of opened my mind to a new kind of field," Graham said.
Papillon said Bockstaller's talk with West Mifflin sophomores was the second time her department used videoconferencing to interact with high school students and she hopes to do more.
"We need to find high schools that are interested," she said. "It is free to the schools."
CMU provided the necessary technical equipment, including a Web cam and monitor, for the videoconference at West Mifflin, Sickles said.
He learned about the program while working with Carnegie Mellon and the National Science Foundation on a grant several years ago. The grant helped high school teachers develop curriculum for their science classrooms.
Sickles said he was pleased with how Bockstaller's presentation made a college-level topic understandable to his students.
"It gave them the unique opportunity to speak in an intimate setting with a college professor. I think it was very successful."
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