Graduate students Alec Hegg and Ryan Donnelly presented a lab experiment to an annual conference of the Connecticut Science Teachers Association on October 19.
They are members of the Nitrogen Fixers, a collaborative research team that uses catalysis to design useful, sustainable products, such as clean fuels that do not harm the environment. One of their goals is to engage in outreach to educate the public about their work.
At the conference, Hegg and Donnelly demonstrated one of the team’s chemistry lessons that science teachers could take back to the classroom.
“We presented our water electrolysis experiment, which is a simple, easy way to demonstrate some basic electrochemical principles,” said Donnelly, a third-year graduate student in the Holland Group.
“We normally run these lessons by visiting schools in person or through Yale’s Pathways to Science program,” said Hegg, “but we hope to reach a broader audience beyond the New Haven area by making these lessons available through our website Nitrogen Fixers. The website provides teachers, students, and families with the same materials and resources we use to run our workshops.
“The overarching goal is to teach basic electrochemistry at an accessible level, using minimal lab equipment, and over-the-counter materials so that these experiments could be done anywhere.”
On the website, one can find explanations of fundamental concepts and everything they need to conduct an experiment: a materials list, a lab manual, a handout, and videos, including a prerecorded lecture on the course material.
The team is available for email consultation as well as in-person or virtual lessons.
Check out sample class experiments for middle, high, and honors high school classes, and follow the Nitrogen Fixers on Facebook, YouTube, and X.
The Nitrogen Fixers website aims to increase awareness of humanity’s reliance on fossil fuels while pointing to solutions that harness sustainable alternatives.