STEM Investigations Biomaterials Make Your Own Contact Lenses Kit for 15 Groups

This STEM Investigations kit introduces students to materials science through the practical challenge of making simulated contact lenses. Students learn how engineers develop and test biomaterials, then produce their own simulated contact lenses by finding the correct proportions of materials to achieve appropriate optical properties, tensile strength, and hydrophobicity. The kit contains enough material for 15 groups of students and includes a 300 g bottle of gelatin powder, 15 pieces of zinc metal, 15 plastic pipettes, 45 petri dishes, 100 glass cover slips, 15 pieces of chromatography paper, 15 plastic microscope slides, 15 glass microscope slides, a package of toothpicks, and a bar of soap. A teacher's manual, student study guide copymasters, and safety data sheets are included. This is a laboratory activity designed for educational use only.