Aiming to enhance European competitiveness in soft matter research and innovation, the pan-European project EUSMI invites teachers to participate in a science Demonstration Competition together with their science classes.
Soft matter, as opposed to solid matter, is a class of materials which is often very responsive to mechanical forces and/or temperature changes. They are mostly built from mixtures of polymers, colloids or surfactants with suitable solvents. EUSMI’s ambitious networking program aims to efficiently communicate new soft matter research findings to the community. Educating the next generation of scientists and developers requires engaged teachers able to formulate creative and imaginative ways of effectively explaining and illustrating the phenomena in chemistry and physics that this research and development is based upon.
We hope to engage teachers (of students aged 13-18) who can share their favourite methods of demonstrating the chemistry and physical properties that are so important for our field. Via these demonstrations, our ambition is that teachers all over Europe will inspire each other to use and further improve upon these educational materials for the benefit of all our students and therefore the future of the field. For the three best contributions there are the following prizes for the respective class to win: 1st place: 1.000 €, 2nd place: 500 €, 3rd place: 250 €.
Participants have to contribute a video of their demonstration, preferably made in a classroom setting, and with a written protocol of how it is performed. The best videos will be post-produced by EUSMI partner WVK communications.
The following examples of scientific phenomena and molecular systems are of importance for us who work as researchers in the area. It is not an extensive list but can serve as inspiration for the field of soft matter. The Wikipedia links are provided as guidance.
A jury consisting of world-famous scientists and communication experts will evaluate the contributions under the following criteria: 30 % didactic quality, 30 % level of student participation, 30 % creativity and uniqueness, 10 % technical implementation.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the EUSMI
Competition Team via email: anna@crcom.se
Anna Stenstam is part of the Executive Committee of EUSMI and CEO of the Swedish partner organization CR Competence
The competition is now closed. Indeed, due to the pandemic the contest hasn’t gone the way we had planned. At the moment we are screening the submitted material and working on an end-of-competition presentation. Soon, you will find here more information. Participants who had submitted their demonstrations will be informed in more detail personally.
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