TY - JOUR
T1 - A MASSive laboratory tour. An interactive mass spectrometry outreach activity for children
AU - Jungmann, JH
AU - Mascini, N.E.
AU - Kiss, A.
AU - Smith, D.F.
AU - Klinkert, I.
AU - Eijkel, G.B.
AU - Duursma, M.C.
AU - Cillero-Pastor, B.
AU - Chughtai, K
AU - Chughtai, S.
AU - Heeren, R.M.A.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - It is imperative to fascinate young children at an early stage in their
education for the analytical sciences. The exposure of the public to mass
spectrometry presently increases rapidly through the common media. Outreach
activities can take advantage of this exposure and employ mass spectrometry as
an exquisite example of an analytical science in which children can be fascinated.
The presented teaching modules introduce children to mass spectrometry and
give them the opportunity to experience a modern research laboratory. The
modules are highly adaptable and can be applied to young children from the age
of 6 to 14 y. In an interactive tour, the students explore three major scientific
concepts related to mass spectrometry; the building blocks of matter, charged
particle manipulation by electrostatic fields, and analyte identification by mass analysis. Also, the students
carry out a mass spectrometry experiment and learn to interpret the resulting mass spectra. The multistage,
inquiry-based tour contains flexible methods, which teach the students current-day research techniques and
possible applications to real research topics. Besides the scientific concepts, laboratory safety and hygiene
are stressed and the students are enthused for the analytical sciences by participating in “hands-on” work.
The presented modules have repeatedly been successfully employed during laboratory open days. They are
also found to be extremely suitable for (early) high school science classes during laboratory visit-focused
field trips.
AB - It is imperative to fascinate young children at an early stage in their
education for the analytical sciences. The exposure of the public to mass
spectrometry presently increases rapidly through the common media. Outreach
activities can take advantage of this exposure and employ mass spectrometry as
an exquisite example of an analytical science in which children can be fascinated.
The presented teaching modules introduce children to mass spectrometry and
give them the opportunity to experience a modern research laboratory. The
modules are highly adaptable and can be applied to young children from the age
of 6 to 14 y. In an interactive tour, the students explore three major scientific
concepts related to mass spectrometry; the building blocks of matter, charged
particle manipulation by electrostatic fields, and analyte identification by mass analysis. Also, the students
carry out a mass spectrometry experiment and learn to interpret the resulting mass spectra. The multistage,
inquiry-based tour contains flexible methods, which teach the students current-day research techniques and
possible applications to real research topics. Besides the scientific concepts, laboratory safety and hygiene
are stressed and the students are enthused for the analytical sciences by participating in “hands-on” work.
The presented modules have repeatedly been successfully employed during laboratory open days. They are
also found to be extremely suitable for (early) high school science classes during laboratory visit-focused
field trips.
U2 - 10.1007/s13361-013-0663-4
DO - 10.1007/s13361-013-0663-4
M3 - Article
SN - 1044-0305
VL - 24
SP - 979
EP - 982
JO - Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
JF - Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
ER -