April 11th, Virginia Tech KTU exhibitors

"How to Make a Bouncing Polymer Ball"

Bouncy balls are a relatively new marvel; originally made from rubber, inventors are now able to construct them from plastic and other polymers. Polymers are molecules made up of repeating chemical units. Glue contains the polymer polyvinyl acetate (PVA). PVA reacts with borax, also known as sodium borate, which will be used as the solution in this experiment. In a cup we combined warm water with borax powder until the mixture was dissolved. In a cup, we combined glue with the borax solution and cornstarch. After allowing the ingredients to interact, we stirred them together to fully mix. Once the mixture became thick, we removed it from the cup so we could begin molding the substance by hand. We found that once the formed bouncy ball was no longer sticky, it was able to bounce freely.

American Medical Student Association 

Today, AMSA is a student-governed, national organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. AMSA members are medical students, premedical students, interns, residents and practicing physicians. Founded in 1950, AMSA continues its commitment to improving medical training and the nation's health.

~ adapted from the National AMSA website

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"Sand, Surf, and Tsunamis"

Our group will present a demonstration and hands-on activities that will teach kids about the impacts of waves and tsunamis on beaches and the coast. First the kids will watch a demonstration using a wave tank in a simple experiment which will illustrate the differences between regular waves and tsunamis as well as their effects on sediment. After that the kids will be able use small-scale wave tanks to experiment with creating different waves and observing their impacts on an experimental mini-beach with coastal structures. The kids will learn about the different types of coastal protection schemes commonly used by engineers to protect the coast and have a chance to build and test their own designs. 

EWRI/COPRI Graduate Student Chapter

The EWRI/COPRI graduate student chapter is joint student organization between two institutes of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), namely the Environmental and WaterResourcesInstitute(EWRI) and the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute (COPRI). It was established as part of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Virginia Tech during the Fall semester of 2011 with the objectives of sharing ideas, networking, and socializing within the department, promoting growth of the body of knowledge in the coastal and water resources related disciplines, and increasing awareness of critical issues related to coastal, environmental, and water resources engineering.