Outreach
K-12: Akron Global Polymer Academy
The Akron Global Polymer Academy provides opportunities for teachers and students of all ages to experience the exciting world of polymers through a variety of offerings, including: in-school visits featuring engaging hands-on demonstrations, polymer family science nights, field trips to our exciting polymer research school, and many polymer-related classroom resources available through their educational website.
AGPA also connects with K-12 students through an assortment of STE(A)M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) initiatives, like: the Akron Regional Science Olympiad, the Western Reserve District 5 Science Day, the annual Rubber Band Contest for 5th-8th graders, as well as an ongoing STEM research experience for high school students.
The K-12 outreach group also provides professional development for teachers. One example is through our Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, which is an NSF funded program that brings teachers into the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering's cutting-edge research laboratories, where they work alongside an actual research group. RET teachers work on developing their own research inspired lesson plans, designed to bring their cool research experiences back into their classrooms!
REU Summer Internships in Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering
The School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering offers a competitive summer research experience for undergraduate (REU) students. Students will participate in an 11-week summer internship to investigate a fundamental question within the broad disciplines of polymer science and polymer engineering including chemistry, physics, characterization, and biomaterials.
Visit the Research Experience for Undergraduates in Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering Website
Akron Regional Science Olympiad
Interested in food science or forensics? What about meteorology, robotics, or electric cars? If science is your thing, The University of Akron campus is the place to be in March, when nearly 600 students from six area counties will compete in the day-long Akron Regional Science Olympiad.
The event is hosted by the university’s Akron Global Polymer Academy. The Science Olympiad is a national competition for middle school and high school students to test their knowledge and skills in 46 contests of science, technology, engineering, and math. The Science Olympiad is full of many exciting events which are available for public viewing.
Rubber Band Contest For Young Inventors
The Akron Global Polymer Academy at The University of Akron invites you to get ready to stretch your imaginations by entering the 9th annual Rubber Band Contest For Young Inventors. This educational contest was designed to give students a new opportunity to have fun learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Each year students from across the nation come up with new ways of using rubber band(s) to create amazing inventions, games, artworks, and more! Join the fun and get ready to learn more about the amazing world of polymers and one of the world’s most amazing inventions…the rubber band!
NSF Research Experience for Teachers (RET) in Polymer Engineering
Overview
- Work with a research group in Polymer Engineering, Polymer Science, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering or Biomedical Engineering
- Learn about fundamental engineering principles
- Translate this knowledge and experience into lessons and units for your classroom
Visit the Research Experience for Teachers in Polymer Engineering Website
Western Reserve District 5 Science Day
The Western Reserve District 5 Science Day is one of the 16 District Science Fairs held in Ohio each spring under the Ohio Junior Academy on Science.
Students in grades 5-12 prepared projects in one of the following areas: behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, botany, chemistry, computers, earth and space sciences, engineering, environmental sciences, mathematics, medicine, microbiology, physics, or zoology.
