Sometimes the best way to learn something new isn’t from a lecture, but from a hands-on approach.
Graduate student Dillon Gagnon and others in the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, under the direction of Assistant Professor Svetlana Morozova, are using hands-on learning to teach Cuyahoga Community College students science classes as they prepare for the General Educational Development (GED) test.
“I made my way through lectures to get where I am today, but I learned the most in the lab, working with my hands,” Gagnon, the project’s lead, shared.
With the support of Morozova’s National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award, the team of students is developing and teaching lessons focused on sustainability and polymer science, complete with hands-on experiments, to help improve science literacy in the community. During their first visit to the East Cleveland Public Library, the team worked with students ranging in age from 16 to 60.