Intended Audience: Grades 9th-12th

Science of Pottery and Glass

The unique minerals of the Black Hills region provide the perfect ingredients to form colorful pottery and glasses. This summer day camp provides high school students with a novel experience to learn about the science behind the creation of pottery (ceramics) and glasses through hands-on laboratory activities using Black Hills minerals. The experiences in this camp will inspire students to better understand mineral resources and how utilize them to create functional materials. Topics covered in the camp will include:

Color Theory (learn the science and art of using color)
Clay-body Formation (create your own clay recipe)
Clay-body Processing (learn pottery techniques such as pinch pots, coil pots, throwing pottery)
Glaze Creation (learn glaze recipe chemistry)
Glass Forming (conduct glass fusing and torch-work)
Characterization (conduct scanning electron microscopy)