Introducing Atomic Absorption Spectrometry to Middle School and High School Students for Research Projects
Location
Village Square
Department
Engineering
Abstract
Modern scientific instruments are not routinely available to high school students for research, much less middle school teachers and students, yet exposure to advanced instrumentation has been shown to increase interest in STEM fields. We piloted activities that provide middle school and high school students access to instrumentation for their research, in collaboration with college students in a research class. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry can determine heavy metal concentrations in the parts-per-billion range, which is relevant for environmental monitoring. Middle school students were interested in the lead (Pb) content of their drinking water. Samples were collected by the students and their teacher from around the school and delivered to Truman College in bottles. During a Zoom videoconference, three different middle school science classes observed the analysis, including video of the sample introduction to the graphite tube, live data from the spectrometer, and generation of a calibration curve. A paper model of the graphite tube helped the teacher explain what students were seeing. High school students selected one of us (CA) as a mentor through the Mentor Matching Engine (MME), to support their research projects involving Ca concentration in soil (AL) or Cu concentration in plant tissue (AB). Samples were sent by mail. We dried, digested, and analyzed calcium or copper doing much of the work during videoconferences through the MME web site. We will share results from the experiments and challenges of sharing this instrument remotely with these groups of students.
Faculty Sponsor
Charles Abrams, Harry S. Truman College
Introducing Atomic Absorption Spectrometry to Middle School and High School Students for Research Projects
Village Square
Modern scientific instruments are not routinely available to high school students for research, much less middle school teachers and students, yet exposure to advanced instrumentation has been shown to increase interest in STEM fields. We piloted activities that provide middle school and high school students access to instrumentation for their research, in collaboration with college students in a research class. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry can determine heavy metal concentrations in the parts-per-billion range, which is relevant for environmental monitoring. Middle school students were interested in the lead (Pb) content of their drinking water. Samples were collected by the students and their teacher from around the school and delivered to Truman College in bottles. During a Zoom videoconference, three different middle school science classes observed the analysis, including video of the sample introduction to the graphite tube, live data from the spectrometer, and generation of a calibration curve. A paper model of the graphite tube helped the teacher explain what students were seeing. High school students selected one of us (CA) as a mentor through the Mentor Matching Engine (MME), to support their research projects involving Ca concentration in soil (AL) or Cu concentration in plant tissue (AB). Samples were sent by mail. We dried, digested, and analyzed calcium or copper doing much of the work during videoconferences through the MME web site. We will share results from the experiments and challenges of sharing this instrument remotely with these groups of students.