NSF Award
9860613
9860613<br/> This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project from Advanced Fuel Research, Inc. involves the development of educational software, which demonstrates everyday physical phenomena simultaneously at the macroscopic and molecular scale using interactive simulations. Dynamic visualizations involving interactive computer simulations where the student can modify parameters and observe the results on the screen can be especially effective for the understanding and remembering of concepts. This project involves the development of a macroscopic heat transfer and thermodynamics model and the combining of this model with a computationally fast molecular dynamics model recently developed at Advanced Fuel Research. Students will be able to vary parameters in a game-like manner through an interactive user interface, and observe the results. The screen could show a scene (to be chosen in collaboration with educators) such as a boat on a lake, with the sun, clouds, and various other familiar objects present. The objective of Phase I is to demonstrate the range of processes that can be simulated and implement a few of these processes. The objective of the next phase of the research is to develop the product as a companion to more conventional teaching tools for physical science education. <br/> This project supports innovations in how science is taught. Having the capability of considering a wide range of content topics, the proposed software product would provide an innovative tool to elucidate the concepts on which everyday natural phenomena are based. Advanced Fuel Research aims to improve student understanding and to stimulate the students' interest in science as a way to understand phenomena around them by presenting elements in a system in a way anticipated to lead to open-ended group challenges and enhancement of curiosity.
