Last week, our Year 9 and 10 product design students took part in smart materials sessions with Lorraine Coghill, a doctor of science from Durham University.
Students experimented with a number of different materials such as printable and programmable electronics, UV beads, sodium polyacrylate (fake snow), thermochromic sheets, kevlar, shape memory alloys, carbon fibre and more!
Amongst the many experiments, Year 9 students created beaded jewellery and altered the colours of the beads with the aid of UV lights. Year 10 experimented with sodium polyacrylate in order to figure out what it was, what it did and why it would be used.
Miss Kell commented: "The sessions really helped our GCSE students understand the differences between smart materials and how they work."