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Introduction
Hello! My name is Lauren Cho, currently a senior at Mount Hebron High School. I take a course called Intern/Mentor GT this year, where I conduct an independent research project of my choice, as well as have an internship under a professional of the field I am interested in. I currently intern as a high school researcher at the UMBC Meyerhoff Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, for one of the college research groups. I work closely with my mentor, Dr. Minjoung Kyoung, as well as mentoring graduate students, Erin Kennedy and Noah Robinson.
I chose to take this course because I wanted to explore the professional research aspects of the subject I am interested in -- chemistry -- as well as see what interdisciplinary science principles and concepts will be used. I also wish to learn how to conduct and gain experience in conducting college-level science research under the guidance of professional advisors and mentors during high school, before I actually attend college.
Therefore, for this year, I am seeking to create cheaper, portable, more efficient microscopes that will be accessible by as many people as possible, especially toward people in living in underfunded areas or with underprivileged conditions. I also wish to expand scientific knowledge as well as passion by creating a "Make-It-Yourself Microscope" and simple guide, that anyone could follow, learn about optics and microsopy, and unleash his or her creativity in innovation. I want to also give others the craving for scientific learning, and promote creative, innovative, and unconventional thinking.
I chose to take this course because I wanted to explore the professional research aspects of the subject I am interested in -- chemistry -- as well as see what interdisciplinary science principles and concepts will be used. I also wish to learn how to conduct and gain experience in conducting college-level science research under the guidance of professional advisors and mentors during high school, before I actually attend college.
Therefore, for this year, I am seeking to create cheaper, portable, more efficient microscopes that will be accessible by as many people as possible, especially toward people in living in underfunded areas or with underprivileged conditions. I also wish to expand scientific knowledge as well as passion by creating a "Make-It-Yourself Microscope" and simple guide, that anyone could follow, learn about optics and microsopy, and unleash his or her creativity in innovation. I want to also give others the craving for scientific learning, and promote creative, innovative, and unconventional thinking.
Abstract
Nowadays, the US faces a problem of confidence in its youth’s scientific literacy. According to Pew Research Center, K-12 students in America rank in the middle, not the bottom of the world rank for science literacy and knowledge, but 44% of Americans view that American K-12 students rank at the bottom of the world’s list (Public’s knowledge of science and technology, 2013). Because of this “crisis,” several researchers and educators have tried to improve the methods by which science is taught in schools. One instance by which this “scientific literacy crisis” could be alleviated is through the advancement of frugal science, termed by Professor Manu Prakash from Stanford University as the field by which high-powered scientific tools are created in a “Do-It-Yourself” fashion and are cheap and portable, accessible by all people. In this research project, an easy-to-make, cheap, efficient, high-powered, portable microscope will be created and presented to students of Mount Hebron High School taking a regular-level science class in the aim of captivating their interest in science as well as making them more scientifically literate. Hence, throughout the research project, various implications of the curing process of polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), optics, hanging droplet lens method, and microscopy were considered, and many experiments were conducted. By the end of this experiment, it was learned that in fact, there are several factors which do impact the focal length of the PDMS lens, such as the curing agent to base ratio of PDMS, the droplet size, the surface material and angle from which the PDMS is cured, and the curing time and temperature, as well as variables which do not impact the optical properties of PDMS such as stirring and degassing times.
Advisors/Mentors
Mount Hebron High School GT Intern/Mentor Program Director & Advising Teacher:
- Dr. Melissa Kiehl
- Kyoung Research Lab
- Dr. Minjoung Kyoung, Assistant Professor
- Noah Robinson, Graduate Student
- Erin Kennedy, Graduate Student