Mini-Grants

Chem Curious Pop Culture Edition

Yann Brouillette (Dawson College)
(Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4….)

2015-2018 Mini-grant Project

The complimentary chemistry course for non-science students entitled Comic Book Chemistry, by its unique nature, requires the production of short experimental videos to serve as class material. The CHEM CURIOUS YouTube channel created with a previously awarded SALTISE mini-grant (2013) will host a new series of educational videos. The POP Culture edition videos will start with a clip from a popular movie depicting an extraordinary feature performed by a protagonist. It will follow-up with a list of common chemicals to be used to replicate the trick in the laboratory, and of course, the demonstration of the chemical experiment.

Updates on this Ongoing Project

The continuation of the POP Culture Edition Videos for a fourth season (volume 4) was a success with the completion of 8 new fascinating videos available on the CHEM CURIOUS YouTube channel.

This time, we tackled amazing features of characters such as Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, Minions, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jedi, Terminator and Venom. More fire, colour change and fake blood experimentation were filmed. Check them out!

How a Dawson College chemistry professor uses superheros to teach science – By Billy Shields, Posted on Global News

The continuation of the POP Culture Edition Videos for a third season (volume 3) was a success with the completion of 9 new extraordinary videos available on the CHEM CURIOUS YouTube channel.

This time, we tackled astonishing features of characters such as Iron Man, the Human Torch, Gizmo, Venom, Green Goblin and reproduced scenes from movies and TV shows like Game of Thrones, The Fifth Element and Child Play 3. More fire, explosions and blood experiments were made. Have fun!

Creating a fire tower using a DJ turn table, a mesh garbage can and sodium chloride in methanol to make an orange flame.

The continuation of the POP Culture Edition Videos for a second season (volume 2) was a success with the completion of 5 new videos available on the CHEM CURIOUS YouTube channel.

This time, we tackled extraordinary features of heroes such as Ant-Man, Rorschach, Sponge Bob and the Invisible Woman. The experiments are easier to replicate at home with household chemicals. Enjoy!

The invisibility effect can be reproduced in the lab by filling a pyrex beaker with glycerol since both material have the same refractive index. — The Invisible Woman has the power to give her body the same refractive index has her surrounding, hence letting light propagate through her without disruption, creating the invisibility effect. This effect can be reproduced in the lab by filling a pyrex beaker with glycerol since both material have the same refractive index.

Description

Nowadays, many chemical instructions videos can be found online. However, most of them are amateurish (often too long, bad video quality, annoying sound or vulgar language) or do not engage non-science students.

No laboratory periods are offered to non-science students, so bringing the lab to them is mandatory. Videos offer a safe, easy and reproducible alternative to show students, in and outside of class, dangerous chemical experiments.

I propose to realise a second collection of seven short CHEM CURIOUS chemical videos to illustrate a series of chemical processes too complicated to bring to class. Each video will start by showing a movie clip of a super hero performing an “incredible” task, and follow up with a chemical explanation and a laboratory demonstration explaining the feasibility of the “credible” stunt.

An image is worth a thousand words, imagine 30 images per second.

Each videos will be available for free online using the YouTube platform.

Acetone dissolves polystyrene (better known as styrofoam) cups to reproduce the Xenomorph acidic blood melting the floor of the spaceship in the movie Alien (1979).

Learning Objectives

Instead of casting students into the role of passive listener, active learning techniques strive to engage learners in reading, writing, discussing and doing things to connect the learners to the material.

Learning goes beyond the classroom time. Chemistry is everywhere, not only in the lab.

Technologies play a great role in the distribution of information, but also in the motivation to learn more.

Background Search

To my knowledge, no other chemistry oriented explanation of super hero characters has been created in a video format. Multiple videos tackle the physics of fictional characters, but not their chemistry. Since not much material exist for my complementary class entitled Comic Book Chemistry, I wish to fill that void with some experiment oriented videos.

Video Specifics

The videos will be short (about 2 minutes), which will help the students to absorb what they hear in a concise timeframe (listening practice). They will be professionally filmed, lighted and edited to emphasize the preparation of the material, the execution of the procedure and the observation of the final reaction product. Visual aid to complex phenomenon accelerates understanding and materialise abstract concepts.

After video watching, short writing exercises (students’ reaction to videos, group exercises in which students apply the reaction to “real life” situations and/or to new problems) will favour discussions and full understanding of the chemical concept.

Overall, the active learning associated with professionally made Chem Curious Pop Culture Videos will make students realise that chemistry (science) is everywhere, not only in textbooks or laboratories.

Evaluation of Project Success

The number of clip views will be automatically assessed by the YouTube channel platform. Comments below each video will give additional input on each videos content and form. The amount of “like” and “share” will also provide a qualitative view of the favourite videos.

For example, the synthesis of nylon linked with Spider-Man Web (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtCBarLbHRM&list=PLu0O4zSZ74I7xbH_tuRFMCVH_tNDdyQBJ&index=3) as accumulated over a million views.

Videos Produced

2015: POP Culture Edition vol. 1

2016: POP Culture Edition vol. 2

2017: POP Culture Edition vol. 3

2018: POP Culture Edition vol. 4

Chemical Experiment Videos

Check out the original 2013 project

Knowledge and Skills Brought to the Project

Yann Brouillette obtained his Masters in organic chemistry from Université de Montréal in 2005 and his Ph. D. in organic chemistry from Université de Montpellier in 2008. A chemistry professor at Dawson College since 2009, Yann has been a devoted member of the Active Learning Community, an online pedagogical tool developer as well as an educational researcher.

Quebec regional director of the College Chemistry Canada association, guest-lecturer and creator of the YouTube channel “Chem Curious”, Yann is always looking for new ways to engage students in the learning of science. In January 2014, he created the new complementary course for non-science students entitled “Comic Book Chemistry” where he uses situations depicted in graphic novels to explain basic chemistry. He always enjoys watching quick colour changes, flickering lights and instant smoke production caused by chemical reactions. But for him, the real magic happens when we can explain to others the origin of these chemical changes.

Gallery

Project Leader

Yann Brouillette

Dawson College, Montreal, QC