The Future of Education

  We, as grade 11 AP Chemistry students, conducted a science project. In this science project, we harvested activated carbon from agricultural wastes, chestnut shells, avocado seeds, plum seeds, and walnut shells. The obtained activated carbon was then used to purify toxic heavy metals, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, and chromium, from water. This science project utilized some AP Chemistry topics. The concepts of molarity and moles were practiced while preparing the necessary solutions for the experimentation process. The topic of absorption and the Beer’s Law were practiced while analysing the results obtained from the spectrophotometer and making conclusions about our data.  Throughout the project, we had to use various scientific equipment. This ranged from more complicated equipment like the spectrophotometer to more simple ones like the volumetric flask. Understanding the significance and function of these equipment helped us conceive how the AP Chemistry topics we learn in class are applied in a chemistry lab. At the end of the project, we found out that practicing and applying the topics we learned in class enhanced our understanding and expertise on the specific AP Chemistry topics. The revision of theoretical science by experimentation is especially beneficial for kinaesthetic learners. With such a project, students also realize the significance of the studied topics, since they demonstrate how the knowledge obtained from their courses can be used to tackle daily life problems.