GrowNextGen kept things lively at the Cleveland Regional Council of Science Teachers’ annual fall workshop, held at the Holden Arboretum. Teacher leaders Jane Hunt and Dustin Homan presented a polymer ball challenge to 18 middle and high school science teachers. Participants made bouncy balls from soy flour and corn starch. Hunt said, “The teachers got into it! They made the balls and we had a bounce-off.”
Farm crops like soybeans can be used as feedstock for chemical processing, and the demand for bio-based products is growing. Polymers are used for a variety of applications such as paints and coatings, adhesives, rubbers and soaps. People with interests in polymers and chemistry can find careers in these areas of new product development. Watch these career videos on our site to learn about these opportunities: Bioproducts and Entrepreneurship.
Want to try this great activity with your students? Here’s how!
