A Multidisciplinary Educational Laboratory Based on Meteorite Samples

The Italian national project Piano Lauree Scientifiche (PLS) is addressed to high school students in order to promote their interest in physics and science with the aim of increasing professional vocations and enrollments in scientific faculties. In the PLS framework, at Roma Tre University we developed an itinerant educational laboratory based on meteorites analysis by means of a portable kit. The activity is performed at school and the students are directly involved in the study of meteorite features and in measurements of physical properties of the samples. Students are intriguingly introduced in the scientific method working together in acquisition and analysis of data, and writing a final report. Lessons and laboratories were developed in collaboration between researchers and high school teachers. Thanks to their multidisciplinary character the activities represent an excellent tool for stimulating the interest in different fields of science as astronomy, physics, geology and biology. From a collection of meteorite samples we developed portable kits for a use in the schools. Siderite sections are dried by means of an evaporator, to prepare the samples for a protective coating. Thin sections of meteorite samples are also available for polarized light analysis. In our laboratory a set of instruments enables a multiparametric study of meteorites for both scientific and educational purposes. A 200-1000x microscope and a stereomicroscope are suited to the visual investigation of geological and structural features of meteorite samples. An UV/Vis/NIR spectrophotometer with integrating sphere enables transmission, absorbance and reflectance analysis; coupled with a cryostat, such instrumentation can reproduce thermodynamic conditions similar to the ones in the space. With the aim of such equipment intriguing hands-on activities and scientific researches can be performed on meteorite samples by means of non-destructive methods.