(135a) A Primer for Chemical Engineering Education/K-12

Teachers in K-12 need exposure to science and mathematics within engineering frameworks in order to prepare students in these grades for careers in chemical engineering. This paper takes one example from the manner it would be presented in kindergarten and re-illustrates it, advancing it at each grade level, until its ultimate presentation as it would be shown and worked out as a chemical engineering problem in the 12th grade. The supposition in each example is that the student is exposed to the levels of science in mathematics in each preceding example such that the 12th grade version would be sophisticated but not overwhelming to a senior in high school preparing to select chemical engineering as a major in college.

The problem plus the accompanying instructions and background mathematics and science are given in each grade “problem module” so that a teacher can prepare this to accompany math and/or science instruction. It is advised that this be used as a course supplement, auxiliary project, or as a problem for a science club such that it can be integrated into K-12 education.