Educational Light-POD: An Activity for Middle and High School Students To Explore the Principles of Analog Transmission Using Photoacoustic Modulation of Fluorescence Lorenzo Echevarria †,‡ and Florencio Eloy Hernandez †,§, * † Department of Chemistry, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816-2366, United States ‡ Departamento de Química, Universidad Simó n Bolívar, Caracas 1020A, Venezuela § The College of Optics and Photonics, CREOL, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816-2366, United States * S Supporting Information ABSTRACT: In an effort to entice more pre-college students to become the future scientists, a simple multicomponent device, the Educational Light-Pod (ELP), was developed to introduce the principles of analog transmission using photoacoustic modulation of fluorescence in an illustrative manner. This eye-catching activity combines concepts of chemistry, physics, optics, and engineering. The ELP can be built by middle and high school students under the supervision of their science teacher; however, if the cost associated with the students individually building the apparatus is prohibitive, the ELP can be used for group demonstrations. KEYWORDS: Elementary/Middle School Science, High School/Introductory Chemistry, First-Year Undergraduate/General, Demonstrations, Laboratory Instruction, Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Lasers, Molecular Properties/Structure, UV-Vis Spectroscopy M any of our colleagues in the scientific and academic community are developing programs for teachers and precollege students to persuade the latter to become part of the future generation of scientists. Through these programs, basic scienti fic concepts and their practical applications are disseminated across high, middle, and elementary schools, exposing students to the latest achievements in science and technology worldwide. However, if a change is to occur in the future, a greater effort has to be made to develop catchy experiments and activities that inspire the upcoming generation to pursue careers in sciences, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Herein, we present a simple multicomponent device that demonstrates the principles of analog transmission using photoacoustic modulation of fluorescence: the Educational Light-Pod (ELP). This eye-catching activity combines fundamentals of lasers, 1 electronic transitions, 2 the Franck- Condon principle, 3 light absorption and the Beer-Lambert law, 4 fluorescence, 5 photonics, and principles of optical communication, 6 as well as signal modulation, transmission, and processing. 6 However, the most perceptible phenomena on the proposed scientific project are the visualization of the Beer-Lambert law, fluorescence, and optical communication that work synergistically for the transmission of a song emanated from a portable media player or a cellular phone, or to allow a conversation with a hands-free system. The selection of diode lasers for data transmission in this activity was motivated by the importance of this source device in modern free-space channel telecommunication networks. Using lasers, light can transfer large quantities of data through great distances, quickly and without loss of information. In addition to the wow-factor of this activity, which can help spark the curiosity of the so-called generation Z, the ELP illustrates, in a tangible fashion, the technological application of light to transfer and exchange information using radiation- matter interaction. Assisting the young generation to under- stand the concepts behind the technology and the devices that they use or will use on a regular basis for communicating is paramount. As recently stated in “The Global Information Technology Report 2012”, 7 we live in a hyperconnected world, where the immediate accessibility to the Internet, from a vast variety of devices, is transforming our society. ■ OBJECTIVES AND OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVITY The central educational goal of the activity is to expose middle and high school students to the latest achievements in science and technology through an exciting hands-on science activity. The main objectives are (i) to motivate middle and high school students to complete a research project in an independent manner, (ii) to help them understand the process of developing an analytical method through building an instrument for chemical analysis, and (iii) to introduce the principles of analog transmission using photoacoustic modulation of fluorescence. In addition, these students will be introduced to the scientific method. In the activity, students work in groups of two to promote teamwork. To help students develop interpersonal skills and Activity pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc © XXXX American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. A dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed300762a | J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX-XXX