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The MRSEC offers a Graduate and Postdoctoral Professional Development project, focusing on mentoring REU students and enhancing presentation skills through workshops and educational activities led by experienced educators.

Introduction to Microfluidics Technology is a hands-on laboratory course sponsored by the National Science Foundations Bioinspired Soft Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Brandeis. This one-week course takes place during the summer and is intended for graduate students, post-docs, faculty and industrial scientists/engineers interested in utilizing microfluidic technology in their work, both in the physical and life sciences.

The LRSM records outreach events, including seminars and lectures, to enhance online accessibility, making educational content available through their Video Channel for a diverse audience.

The Materials Universe Podcast, featuring the Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials (CDCM) at UT Austin, explores advancements in materials science through interviews with researchers in various fields.

The Princeton Summer School on Condensed Matter Physics (PSSCMP) fosters knowledge in quantum materials, featuring lectures and poster sessions for graduate students and postdocs, focusing on advanced detection and emergent phases.

The Ohio Dept. Ed. funded Math Science Partnership program enhances 9th-grade physical science teaching through materials-related activities, impacting over 25 teachers and featuring presentations at SECO.

The CDCM Materials Research Science and Engineering Center hosts a RET program, providing teachers with research experience and curriculum development in materials science to enhance K-5 STEM education.

The Center for Dynamics and Control of Materials (CDCM) offers summer CREATE internships for Austin Community College students, providing research experience in materials science, mentorship, and professional development.

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.

Na-ion batteries (NIBs) are proposed as a promising candidate for beyond Li-ion chemistries, however, a key challenge associated with NIBs is the inability to achieve intercalation in graphite anodes. This phenomenon has been investigated and is believed to arise due to the thermodynamic instability of Na-intercalated graphite. We have recently demonstrated theoretical calculations showing it is possible to achieve thermodynamically stable Na-intercalated graphene structures with a fluorine surface modifier. Here, we present experimental evidence that Na+ intercalation is indeed possible in fluorinated few-layer graphene (F-FLG) structures using cyclic voltammetry (CV), ion-sensitive scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and in situ Raman spectroscopy. SECM and Raman spectroscopy confirmed Na+ intercalation in F-FLG, while CV measurements allowed us to quantify Na-intercalated F-FLG stoichiometries around NaC14–18. These stoichiometries are higher than the previously reported values of NaC186 in graphite. Our experiments revealed that reversible Na+ ion intercalation also requires a pre-formed Li-based SEI in addition to the surface fluorination, thereby highlighting the critical role of SEI in controlling ion-transfer kinetics in alkali-ion batteries. In summary, our findings highlight the use of surface modification and careful study of electrode-electrolyte interfaces and interphases as an enabling strategy for NIBs.