A National Model in Undergraduate Research: Glass Science at Coe College Steve Feller, Coe College,

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A National Model in Undergraduate Research Glass
Science at Coe College Steve Feller, Coe
College, DMR 0502051
Coe College student Amanda Havel has just
completed the cad designs of a new twin-roller
quencher. The purpose of this device is to cool
liquids at rates exceeding 100,000 oC/s. By so
doing we are able to form glasses new to nature
such as vanadates, ultra high alkali containing
silicates and borates, and heavy metal oxide
glasses that exceed 95 metal by weight. Our
new fifth generation roller quencher is computer
controlled and has the ability to vary the width
of the gap between the rollers from less than a
micron to more than a millimeter. It also has a
dry box attachment, hardened steel rollers, and
is designed to have the rollers pop out for easy
maintenance. Construction of the quencher is
underway with a completion date of 1 December
2007.
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A National Model in Undergraduate Research Glass
Science at Coe College Steve Feller, Coe
College, DMR 0505051
Education During the past three summers more
than 40 Coe undergraduates participated in this
research along with 7 REU students (we are part
of a site). Our recent alumni have gone to
graduate school at Univ of Minnesota, Penn State,
Univ of Missouri-Rolla, Univ of Arizona,
Stanford, Northwestern and others. Students in
2006-7 have done collaborative work at Univ of
Manitoba (Canada), Univ of Warwick (UK), and the
National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens
(Greece). Students also attended national and
international conferences, gave presentations,
and co-authored 17 journal articles. Visiting
students came to us from Japan and England.
Outreach Last year the Coe Glass Group led
many outreach programs including hosting 4 high
schoolers in research, working with local grade
schools, and performing physics demonstrations
for more than 1000 students and parents at an
open house. Also, we co-organized, with Iowa
State Univ, the Iowa Glass Conference for more
than 35 people from ISU, Coe, Creighton Univ.,
and Missouri-Rolla. Part of the Coe Glass
Group, summer 2007