A discovery-enriched curriculum on polymers and polymer composites through hierarchical structured on-line laboratory mini-projects

"Design, fabrication and properties of polymers and their various composites is a subject which needs not only in-classteaching, but also plenty of experiment opportunities to help student gain enough experiences and understand what theyhave learned in class. This is also a field rich for discovery and thus possess high potential to achieve theDiscovery-Enriched Curriculum. However, the field of polymer and their composite is very comprehensive becausevarious properties, including mechanical, thermal, optical, acoustic and electrical performances of polymers and theircomposites can be investigated. Therefore, doing experiments in an ordinary laboratory in one semester can only equipthe students with very limited experience.This project will explore a method to make the experimental work of polymers and their composites more effectiveand easy. Based on the on-line polymer and polymer composite simulation system developed and provided by NationalInstitute for Materials Science in Japan, I will design a couple of mini-projects with hierarchical structure for theexisting course titled ""Composite Materials – with An Introduction to Nanocomposites"" (AP4118) and ""Polymer &Composite Materials"" (AP6182&8182). These mini-projects will allow students to design various polymers and polymercomposites, followed by investigations on their mechanical and thermal properties. One of the mini-projects will requestthe students to arbitrarily design a series polymers with enhanced properties. The results will be used to compare witheach other and/or enrolled in the polymer database managed by National Institute for Materials Science in Japan.The online laboratory will greatly extend the range of polymers, polymer composites and their properties which canbe investigated through experiments. By arbitrarily designing a series polymers with enhanced properties, the studentscan well understand the roles of chains, functional groups or grafts on polymer properties. These designs aim onencouraging student to discover new materials and properties based on what they have learned in the class. The onlinelaboratory will be integrated with the existing tutorials and lab sessions."