Sand that never gets wet!
How it works
This special sand has a hydrophobic coating. This coating repels water, and prevents the sand from getting wet! Water molecules cannot even stick to the sand when it’s underwater, which is why you see the cool formations. This is an example of what Chemical Engineers can create!
Try this at home
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Want to play with this at home? Purchase this special sand online!
- Brainstorm other ways this hydrophobic coating could be useful in your life - maybe on carpet, your electronics or the roof of your house?
Definitions/glossary
- Hydrophobic: “water-fearing”. Materials with this property don’t dissolve in water (ex: oil)
- Molecule: multiple atoms stuck together make up a molecule! Water (H2O) is made of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom
- Chemical Engineers: use their knowledge of chemistry to design substances and reactions to improve our everyday life.
What's going on at the University
Before graduating from the University of Waterloo, all engineering students complete a capstone project. For example, one group of students created Greyscale Coatings which allows your roof to be black when it's cold and white when it's warm out. This helps save on energy costs and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
How to become a chemical engineer
The first step to becoming a chemical engineering student is to graduate from high school with the required math, physics, chemistry, and english courses. After high school, you will attend a post-secondary program. Chemical engineering students at Waterloo are at the forefront of technology and their role in modern society is becoming increasingly important. They design, implement and supervise industrial processes where matter undergoes change. This could be in the pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, food or plastics industries for example - anywhere a transformation of matter occurs.
The co-operative study program will provide you with up to 24 months of practical experience complements and reinforces in-class learning. This will prepare you for a career as a mechanical engineer.