This summer, middle and high school students are helping build and test 3-D structures that complement and mimic the cutting-edge 鈥榩hoto origami鈥� research conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Similar to the Japanese art of folding paper into shapes, photo origami is an innovative engineering technique involving light activated 3-D structures. As part of the , researchers at CU-Boulder鈥檚 College of Engineering and Applied Science are developing new composite polymers that can fold into 3-D structures using light. The researchers have partnered with CU-Boulder鈥檚 Science Discovery, a science education outreach program, to incorporate photo origami curriculum into Science Discovery鈥檚 engineering and STEM workshops for K-12 students and teachers.
While this research is performed at a nanoscale in a million dollar optics lab, CU Science Discovery has found a way to model the process with $10 heat lamps and a common shape memory polymer 鈥� aka Shrinky Dinks.
As part of the six-week Photo-Origami Research Experience and Mentorship Program, eight students from Centaurus High School in Lafayette, Skyline High School in Longmont and Northglenn High School have been working with CU-Boulder mentors and researchers. Two of the students have been studying and bending thermopolymers. The students have been able to research the same folding and bending properties as the CU-Boulder scientists, but they are using heat rather than light to make folds.
The ability to transform a flat polymer sheet into a sophisticated, mechanically robust 3-D structure will enable new approaches to manufacturing and design of devices. Examples include using extremely low-weight, high-strength materials to create micro-electromechanical systems with complicated 3-D architectures that can be used for microscopic sensors, such as antennas or microphones, and miniature robotic devices for environmental monitoring.
鈥淚n my 17 years at CU, I have never known a program like this that can take our research and turn it into a challenging and fun activity,鈥� said Kurt Maute, professor of aerospace engineering sciences and co-investigator for the Photo-Origami Research Project. 鈥淭he kids ask the same questions as our grad students. They are problem-solving and making adjustments; they are becoming engineers.鈥�
Leveraging what they have been learning at CU-Boulder, the high school students will share and test their photo origami models using printer-ready polymers with 9- to 13-year-olds in CU Science Discovery Summer Camps.
The new models and resources that are being developed this summer will be incorporated into Science Discovery鈥檚 K-12 STEM workshops to help teachers and learners across the state understand this important new technology.
Contacts: 听 听 听
Beth Stade, CU Center for STEM Learning and Photo Origami Research Project co-principal investigator, elisabeth.stade@colorado.edu, 303-492-8848
Stacey Forsyth, CU Science Discovery director, stacey.forsyth@colorado.edu, 303-492-4839
Hannah Fletcher, Communications, Office for Outreach and Engagement, hannah.fletcher@colorado.edu, 303-492-3949
Julie Poppen, Media Relations, julie.poppen@colorado.edu, 303-492-4007 or 720-503-4922 (mobile)听
April Garlin from Northglenn High School applies heat to a Shrinky Dink-type material to emulate a process known as "photo origami" during the CU Science Discovery program for middle and high school students at CU-Boulder.听
