The Penn Summer Science Initiative (PSSI), sponsored by MRSEC, offers a four-week materials science course for high school students, focusing on various characterization techniques and practical assignments.

Last summer, 12 high school students were challenged to identify a mystery polymer. As part of a summer internship—now in its second year—they visited the chemical giant Chemours where they gained access to high-tech lab equipment rarely open to the public and were provided with relevant clues and tests to help solve the puzzle. It’s as hands on as it gets and gave this young group valuable exposure to the world of STEM.

Universities that have earned the Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers (MRSEC) grant award are engaged in collaborative interdisciplinary research at the very forefront of the field.  Exciting opportunities exist for graduate students, undergraduates, postdoctor scholars, and faculty. This short video summarizes important features of the MRSEC program at all Centers.

This unique event intended to introduce students to the world of robotics and provide educators with robotics-related teaching resources. This year's conference focused on the exciting field of underwater research and exploration and how robots are dramatically changing the way this is accomplished. Students working in teams of two or four developed their own concept of an underwater robot and design and present a poster illustrating their concept during a poster session at the conference.

In October 2005, a "Materials Day at MIT" outreach symposium was held that focused on new research developments from the MIT MRSEC program. This full day symposium, organized by MIT's Materials Processing Center (MPC) and Industrial Liaison Program (ILP), was attended by representatives from a total of 42 different companies. Also in attendance were about 65 members of the MIT community, including faculty, graduate and undergraduate students.

"CSI is a hot topic, and that makes it fascinating to kids. But it's also applied science, and it's a powerful way to get kids involved in the scientific process: carefully documenting observations and analyzing results." Merle Hunsaker, RET and science teacher.

Demonstrates a new class of Quantum Dots that are not toxic but fluoresce throughout the visible by varying the dopant.

Center for Materials for Information Technology at University of Alabama have recently gone live with 5 computer games targeted at middle school students. The games are designed to teach them about the periodic table and one is designed to teach about rock classifications.

Michael M. Baksh, Esther M. Winter, Nathan G. Clack and Jay T. Groves: University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab