Education Programs

The goal of MRSEC outreach efforts is to inspire Kindergarten-Grade 12 (K-12) students by the excitement of materials research and to enlarge the pool of students who become future scientists and engineers. Outreach efforts take various forms, such as classroom visits and bringing K-12 students to the University of Nebraska. Visits to schools by MRSEC researchers provide hands-on science activities and demonstrate students the relevance of materials and nanoscience research. Bringing groups of K-12 students to University of Nebraska for tours and demonstrations of the MRSEC laboratories let students to know about scientific concepts and new technologies. This provides the opportunity for students to learn about materials and nanoscience research career paths.

Our enhanced Research Experience for Undergraduates program recruits two faculty/student pairs from regional four-year colleges and universities to engage in summer research with MRSEC faculty, with the goal of providing a research experience which benefit both the participants and the MRSEC projects. It is expected that the professor/student pairs continue to expand on MRSEC-related research at their home institutions during the academic year.

The University of Nebraska’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center offers a unique opportunity for qualified undergraduates to experience research at the forefront of nanoscale materials science and engineering focused on the structure and properties of nanoelements (clusters and wires) and nanocomposites. The primary objective of this program is to develop the participants into independent researchers. As such, the format of the research activities undertaken will be designed to develop skills and foster independence. Individual projects will be designed to be completed within the ten-week time frame of the program.

Each summer, two or more high school or middle school teachers are invited to participate in a MRSEC program “Research Experience for Teachers” (RET). Teachers work on a research program during the summer, gaining first-hand experience with cutting–edge research and modern technologies. A summer stipend is provided. The relationships between the teachers and the researchers expand to include the teacher’s students during the following school year. MRSEC members visit the high or middle school at monthly intervals, bringing hands–on science activities and showing examples of how materials research affects their lives.