Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference &Exposition Copyright © 2001, American Society for Engineering Education Session1519@ INTEGRATING MATERIALS SCIENCE INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY CURRICULUM Jeremiah J. Neubert Ψ† , Cynthia G. Widstrand Ψ‡ , Ann M. Pumper * , C. Bruce Swanson * , and Arthur B. Ellis ‡ † Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin/ ‡ Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin/ * James Madison Memorial High School, Madison, Wisconsin Abstract The focus of this project was to provide secondary chemistry teachers with creative, inexpensive, hands-on, minds-on teaching materials to introduce materials science into the curriculum. Three teaching modules were developed around an existing kit, "Exploring the Nanoworld". The first module, "Memory Metals", explores some of the unique properties of Nitinol along with its applications. The second module, "X-ray Diffraction and Scanning Probe Microscopy," uses two techniques for demonstrating the existence of atoms and determining their relative positions. Finally, a module on "Light Emitting Diodes" (LEDs) shows students how trends in the periodic table can be used to design these versatile light sources. Each unit is aligned with the National Science Education Standards and is accompanied by curriculum suggestions, sample lesson plans, and unit assessments. Background information for the teacher and student is included, along with investigations, demonstrations, and laboratory experiments. All three of the modules have been field-tested; teacher and student evaluations of the modules have been positive. Introduction High school science teachers are always in search of new and interesting ways to teach chemistry. The topics of solid-state chemistry and materials science provide engaging examples for the classroom, but Ψ National Science Foundation GK-12 Teaching Fellow Page 6.614.1