08/04/2026
Empowering the Next Generation of Scientists: TURI's Summer Workshop
Each summer, TURI partners with the Tsongas Industrial History Center Camp to lead an interactive science and sustainability workshop for approximately 18 to 20 elementary and middle school aged campers. The workshop takes place in TURI's laboratory, where staff design and or modify hands on lab activities that complement the camp's overall experience and lessons around textile history, sustainability, everyday chemical use, and water pollution. Students are encouraged to think upstream about how the choices we make during manufacturing can reduce environmental impacts downstream.
This year, TURI adapted the Beyond Benign—Green Chemistry for a Sustainable Future Fabulous Fabrics curriculum by incorporating natural dyes and additional chemistry concepts. Campers experimented with turmeric and beet juice on cotton, wool, faux suede, and another polyester fabric while exploring how pH influences color and dye performance. Using Velcro as an analogy, we introduced the idea that some dyes and fabrics are more attracted to one another than others, helping explain why certain dye and fabric combinations work better than others.
The campers also investigated how variables such as fabric type (cotton, polyester, faux suede, and wool), dye type (synthetic - kool aid vs natural - beet juice or turmeric), dye concentration, immersion time, temperature, and how evenly a fabric is submerged can affect dye uptake and the final appearance of the fabric. These observations were connected to the campers' tie dye activity later that week, encouraging them to think about why uneven coloring or white spots can occur if fabric is not fully saturated or if sections are intentionally bound with rubber bands. While the campers were too young to explore the chemistry in depth, the activities laid the foundation for future discussions about intermolecular interactions, pH, and why different fibers respond differently to dyes.
By combining hands on experimentation with real world examples, the workshop helped students connect chemistry, sustainability, and textile manufacturing while reinforcing the importance of making safer chemical choices that can protect people and the environment.
