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Middle School Physics Department: Physics and Sustainable Development

December 22, 2021

Physics is more than just a natural scientific discipline—it is a mechanism with which we can uncover the secrets of the natural world and promote sustainable human development. Through the study of matter, energy, space and time, we can better understand the laws of nature and find ways in which we can live in glorious symbiosis.

Grade 8 students first familiarized themselves with the 17 UN sustainable development goals and were then tasked with finding ways in which physics could help solve or alleviate these issues. This was done in order to cultivate a sense of responsibility as global citizens, as well as to empathize with and better understand the difficulties faced by people around the world. By applying scientific knowledge to solve practical real-world problems, we hope to reinforce the important roles physics has to play both now and into the future.

Five physics-related topics were provided—Topic 1 Sonar and Halobios, Topic 2 Space Technology and Food Crisis, Topic 3 Laser Technology in Medical Science, Topic 4 Sustainable Transportation, and Topic 5 Nuclear Wastewater and the Global Water Crisis.

These units aim to encourage students to step outside of the classroom and take a broader view of how physics is applied to real life and the roles it plays in solving social, energy, and other sustainable development issues. After nearly two weeks of investigation and discussion, each group was required to give a presentation and share their findings.

Students covered a diverse range of interesting topics, with some delving into the impact of sonar on ocean whales and other marine life, while others preferred to focus on lasers and their current and potential use in modern medical treatment. One group even went extraterrestrial by exploring how space technology can help alleviate our current food crisis. Students were also required to provide a summary of existing technologies in relation to the current state of human society and our natural environment, including references to other potential options for sustainable development.

The two weeks of research and discussion proved fruitful in raising awareness of the roles physics plays in regard to social, energy, and many other issues. This unit also gave students invaluable experience in designing their own scientific investigations and seeing physics not merely as a disparate discipline but rather as a holistic field that has the potential to change the world.

(Written by Linqiong Qiu Pictures byG8 Physics Teachers Edited by HuangShiyuan, Brie Polette)