Developing an Educational Outreach Kit based on Dimensional Metrology

Speaker:Hy D. Tran, PhD, PESandia National Laboratories

Monday July 30, 2012

Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Desired Outcomes• Participants will be familiar with the contents of the

newly developed dimensional metrology kit for metrology ambassador activities

• Participants will be familiar with the contents of the laser interferometer demonstration

• Participants will seek opportunities to use both new kits in STEM outreach activities, and will add new materials for use by other metrology ambassadors

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Why a dimensional metrology kit?• Existing kits in the L&D library have well developed

content, including structure and learning outcomes aligned with educational content standards

• Existing kits limit number of participants (two students per kit approaches a practical limit)

• Dimensional metrology is easily related to NCSLI “Introduction to Metrology” presentation (the Cubit is a dimensional standard)– The author is familiar with dimensional metrology

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Challenges and Possible Solutions• Loss of interest in STEM fields for US students in

middle school and high school– Hands-on activities to engage and enthuse student

• Teacher interest and involvement– Links between materials in outreach and state

standards• Volunteer effort

– Prepared materials, presentations, activities

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Intended audience and goals for outreach• Easy for metrology ambassadors to use

– Easy for metrology ambassadors to extend!– Well-articulated outcomes that schools can use

• Target audience is middle school to high school (US ages 12-18)– Keep (or increase) students’ interests in STEM fields– Provide STEM teachers additional resources and ideas

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Development plan

Questions:• What are “good”

student outcomes?• What experiences

would help lead to good outcomes?

• Balance with volunteer development effort

• Balance with resources

Solutions• Investigate educational

standards; talk with teachers; talk with other volunteers

• Borrow ideas from metrology ambassadors, from L&D community, …

• Solicit donations

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Ideas for dimensional metrology ambassador kit

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The dimensional kit• Target audience: Middle school and up (adjust

content depth depending on time and audience)• Measurement content: Aligns with NM math and

science standards; also aligns with new US “common core” math standards– Analysis of experimental data– Concepts in traceability and uncertainty

• Can also be used with more “open-ended” questions• Can weave in “careers in metrology” resources

– Motivate students to learn more about metrology

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Audience participation• Pass around parts of dimensional kit• Students would be asked to measure diameter &

length of serialized cylinders.• Possible concepts:

– Comparison– Statistical evaluation– Procedures and communications

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Sample slides for the caliper kit

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Learning ObjectivesParticipants will be able to:

• Describe “metrology”• Explain what is a

measurement• Describe repeatability

and accuracy

• Describe mean, variance, standard deviation

• Apply mean and standard deviation in evaluating measurement data

• Describe a histogram, and plot a histogram

• Relate mathematics and statistics to a career

Hands on• We’re going to do some hands-on exercises

– Divide into teams of 2• Measuring cylinders: Want both diameter and length

– To use the digital calipers:• Turn on (press on button); close jaws; press zero button;

select units (inch or mm)• Measure length and measure diameter (use inch

units. Official policy is to use SI, but for this class we’ll use inches because I’m contrary) – legally, worldwide: 1 inch = 0.0254 meter exactly

• One of the team members raise your hand (and keep it up) when you’re done.

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Discussion• How did you measure the item?

– How many times did you measure?– If you measured more than once, was it

on the same points?– Or different points?– What plan did you make beforehand?– If you measured a diameter on a

cylinder more than once, how did you decide what value to record?

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Student worksheet

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OK, let’s compare!• Do you want to re-measure your cylinders before we

continue?• Each team selects the last cylinder you measured,

and report:– Cylinder number– Length– Diameter

• (go to next slide to write down data)

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Interferometer demonstration• Set up interferometer demo. Play slide

interferometer slide show• Concepts:

– History of length unit and SI– Demonstration of Michelson interferometer

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Sample slides for interferometer

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www.MetrologyCareers.com

PRESENTINGtheNCSLI Michelson Interferometer

in a Pizza Box!

Objectives

The roots of the metric system The definition of the meter Albert Michelson’s contribution to optics Principles of interferometry The geometry of the Michelson interferometerAnd you will interact with a working interferometer

NCSL INTERNATIONALSERVING THE WORLD OF

MEASUREMENT SINCE 1961

You will learn about

Origins of the metric system Prior to the French revolution, each region

in France had its own standards• Different “yard” units for textiles (toise)• Different “bushel” units for grain• Different “pint” measures for beer

Idea of rationalizing units from 1670: Abbé Mouton proposes 1 minute of arc of the circumference of the earth as the primary standard of length; decimal divisions

NCSL INTERNATIONALSERVING THE WORLD OF

MEASUREMENT SINCE 1961

The meter in the US 1875: US signs the Convention of the

Meter 1890: US receives K-4 and K-20 (kilogram

standards) and meter 21 and 27 1893: T. C. Mendenhall, Superintendent of

Weights & Measures in the US orders the adoption of the international prototype meter and kilogram as US standards.

NCSL INTERNATIONALSERVING THE WORLD OF

MEASUREMENT SINCE 1961

Albert A. Michelson 1852-1931 Grew up in Northern California & West Nevada Appointed to US Naval Academy; returned as an

instructor, then, to Case School of Applied Science, Clark University, and finally University of Chicago

Did experiments to measure the speed of light, and also the Michelson-Morley experiment to determine the speed of travel of earth in the “aether” (1887)

Visited BIPM to set up interferometers for measuring the meter bars!

NCSL INTERNATIONALSERVING THE WORLD OF

MEASUREMENT SINCE 1961

Measuring outcomes• Questions on student self-assessment of attitudes “before” and “after” (7th,

10th, & 1st year college students): Rate from 1-5

Q1___Before attending the presentations, I can describe what is “metrology” Q2___Before attending the presentations, I can explain what is a measurement and give an example Q3___Before attending the presentations, I can describe or explain repeatability and accuracy Q4___Before attending the presentations, I can relate the use of measurements to society Q5___Before attending the presentations, I can describe or explain a histogram, and describe or explain

measures of dispersion of data Q6___Before attending the presentations, I was interested in pursuing a career in a science, technology,

engineering, or mathematics-related field

• Consultation with statistician; evaluation of changes

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Some outcome measurements

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Chan

ge in

Q1

Chan

ge in

Q2

Chan

ge in

Q3

Chan

ge in

Q4

Chan

ge in

Q5

Chan

ge in

Q6

Avg changes 2.4 0.7 1.1 1.0 1.4 0.8

avg change 3.1 0.7 1.1 1.6 0.0 0.4

7th grade

10th grade

avg change 3.2 0.8 1.0 1.0 1.6 1.61st year college (small sample size)

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Michelson Q6avg change 2.6 0.9 0.6 0.4 2.7 0.1

12th grade (small sample size)

Conclusions and path forward

• Dimensional kit, including measuring tools, measurand, sample presentations, outcome surveys

• Demonstration “Laser Interferometer in a Pizza Box”, includes sample presentation

• Please check them out from the NCSLI L&D library • Use the kit and demonstration interferometer as

metrology ambassadors!• Develop additional presentations!• Provide feedback to L&D for best practices!

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