Education Programs

The Center for Materials Science and Engineering collaborates with the Materials Processing Center (MPC) to offer a ten-week summer research internship program. The objective of the program is to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to immerse themselves in a summer of exciting materials research as part of a team of graduate students and postdoctoral associates under the leadership of CMSE/MPC faculty.

Approximately fifteen undergraduate students are selected to participate in the program each year. The interns, all entering their junior or senior year, are chosen on the basis of their academic standing, faculty recommendations, and research interests.

The students begin the summer with a three-day symposium featuring faculty presentations on current research topics and tours of related laboratories. In the course of this symposium, a wide variety of possible projects are outlined for the students. The remainder of the first week is devoted to individual meetings with faculty and the matching of interns with projects. During the summer, the group meets weekly for research discussions and informal seminars led by guest speakers. The interns also participate in the regular meetings of their respective research groups. At the end of the program, the interns present their research in a poster session that is attended by the MIT community.

CMSE has launched a new collaboration with Roxbury Community College and with Bunker Hill Community College, both minority-rich two-year colleges, to engage the participants in current materials research. We view this as a first step in building a relationship with community colleges in the Boston area that enroll a higher percentage of underserved students. The primary goal of this program is to encourage a significant number of community college undergraduates to pursue careers in science and engineering.

Students spend ten weeks during the summer working on CMSE research as part of a faculty-led research group, similar to our REU summer internship program. The CCP students participate in all REU meetings and activities. In addition, three separate meetings of these students with the MRSEC director and staff are devoted to addressing their concerns about research, seeing that they are comfortably assimilated into their research groups, and getting feedback on the program. At the conclusion of the summer, the students present posters on their research at a summer programs poster session, attended by the MIT community.

Faculty at these colleges take primary responsibility for the selection of students for this program, who are chosen on the basis of their interest, academic preparation, and faculty recommendation. The RCC students choose their research projects from several presented by the MRSEC director during a preliminary seminar. The students are awarded a stipend for the summer.

Participants: Massachusetts middle and high school science teachers
Program Objectives:

• To increase content knowledge of both materials science and engineering and the engineering design process

• To provide teachers with opportunities to explore the properties of a range of materials design engineering

• To develop modules for the classroom that address Massachusetts learning standards

Program Features:

• 1 intensive week: July 21-25, 2008

• $300 stipend paid to participants

• MIT faculty give presentations on physics, chemistry, and engineering

• Participants design and build a simple motor; create classroom modules on engineering design.

Join a team of faculty, graduate students, and postgraduate researchers performing cutting-edge research in the broad field of materials science and engineering, and then explore ways to use that experience to enrich your teaching. Learn to use state-of-the-art equipment and techniques. A wide variety of research projects are available.

No research experience is required– all you need is enthusiasm and a desire to learn. See how the science principles you teach in the classroom are applied to laboratory research. The program includes weekly group meetings where you will have a chance to share your experience with fellow teachers and discuss connections between your classroom curriculum and current materials science research.

Program eligibility: Science teachers at the middle and high school level are invited to apply. Some preference will be given to applicants who are within commuting distance of MIT.
Program duration: Seven weeks during the first summer. Participants are encouraged to return for a second summer of flexible duration for the dedicated purpose of developing classroom materials and lesson plans.

• Stipend: $7000/first summer
• Application deadline: March 14, 2008

For further information or questions, contact:
Susan Rosevear
Center for Materials Science and Engineering
77 Massachusetts Ave., Room 13-2082
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
phone: 617-253-0916
e-mail: susang@mit.edu

Please note that participants must be US citizens or permanent
residents. MIT is a non-smoking environment. Women and members of minority groups are encouraged to apply.

Since 1992, the Center for Materials Science and Engineering has operated a Science and Engineering Program for Middle School Students designed to familiarize young adolescents with the field of materials science and engineering. In the course of hands-on explorations of the properties of various materials and the manipulation of those materials for specific applications, students learn basic materials science concepts. They also learn firsthand that science is fun!

A group of twelve students and the science teacher from each school spends a full summer week on the MIT campus. They return for several after school sessions during the academic year. While on campus, the students are mentored by MIT undergraduates. The activities are designed and taught by faculty, technical staff, graduate students, and undergraduates.

This program targets seventh and eighth grade students from two Cambridge public elementary schools.