Building a Low Cost, Hands-on Learning Curriculum for Glass Science and Engineering Using Candy Glass

We have developed a program to connect students, as well as the general public, with glass science in the modern world through a series of hands-on activities and learning experiences using sucrose based glass (a.k.a. hard candy). The scientific content of these experiments progresses systematically, providing an environment to develop an understanding of glassy materials within a framework of “active prolonged engagement” with the material. Most of the experiments can be assembled in a high school lab, or even in a home setting with minimal cost, and yet are appropriate for inclusion in an undergraduate materials lab. The cost is minimized by utilizing common, everyday materials and devices. Some of the activities included in our experiments include: synthesis, density, refractive index determination, glass transition, crystallization, kinetics of devitrification, thermal properties, etc. Temperature measurement, temperature control, and even automated data collection are part of the experience, providing an open path for the students to continue their own interesting and creative ideas.