The glasses, these unknown materials

• Grant number: 24/00634-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Journalism
• Start date: May 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Ana Candida Martins Rodrigues
• Grantee: Regiane Oliveira dos Santos
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07793-6 - CEPIV - Center for Teaching, Research and Innovation in Glass, AP.CEPID

Abstract

Glasses are materials that are out of thermodynamic equilibrium, and for this reason, they have characteristics that attract great scientific interest. Glass is a ubiquitous material in our daily lives. The word Glass generally refers mainly to window glass and packaging for the public. However, many other types of Glass are unknown to the general public, such as bioglass and bioglass ceramics, which can be used as an implant material for bone regeneration. Another noteworthy fact is the use of optical fibers made of Glass, as our world can be connected via the Internet only through them. Notably, the UN chose 2022 as the International Year of Glass - IYOG, in English, International Year of Glass. As demonstrated in IYOG's institutional video, Glass is a material that can contribute to 12 of the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN. The researcher responsible for the project, Prof. Ana Candida Martins Rodrigues, is the Education and Dissemination coordinator at CEPID - CeRTEV (Center for Research, Technology, and Education in Vitreous Materials) and, together with Prof. Karina Omuro Lupetti, has some experience in scientific dissemination. Therefore, we wish to take advantage of the excellent opportunity that the training journey proposed by Fapesp will represent for the two students involved. This is an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of scientific dissemination. Initially, our primary target audience will be secondary school students, as Glass is a material rich in information and can be used to disseminate and explain basic physics and chemistry concepts. Also, as Glass is 100% recyclable, this material represents an important agent for a sustainable society and an excellent opportunity to publicize the importance of sustainability.