nd High School, arranged for a NASCAR race truck and driver Bret Watson to come to the school Sept. 28 to explain how polymers are found in many aspects of car racing .Showing how science works in surprising ways, Vicki Volpe, an honors chemistry teacher at Vineland High School, arranged for a NASCAR race truck and driver Bret Watson to come to the school Sept. 28 to explain how polymers are found in many aspects of car racing .
“Every September my AP Chemistry class does a unit on organic chemistry,” she said. “The closing unit is on polymers, which are long chain molecules that you may be familiar with as being plastics in general. They are fibers; they are films; they are materials for containers. Many times when my students do these reports, I have noticed the uses they specify for things like Kevlar and Nomex are all things used for transportation. It occurred to me, since my husband is a race car driver, that he had mentioned these things too.”
Volpe’s husband, Joseph, is the events coordinator at the new Thunderbolt raceway that will be built outside Millville. He arranged for Wilson’s visit and outdoor lecture that focused on the chemistry of NASCAR --- butadiene tires, Kevlar race suits, polystyrene insulation, and polycarbonate windshields.
“The car is a one-piece example of how chemistry has improved the safety, durability, and reliability of racing – and our world,” said Volpe.