Materials Education: A Gateway to Reach Young Minds, A STEM Integrator

Materials science and its links to technology have been used by many who strive to interest young people in STEM career paths. Study of materials is effective in linking science topics to readily understood application and introducing math, technology and engineering in a manner that excites rather than repels students. In this presentation I will highlight the materials camps strategy begun by the ASM Materials Education Foundation in 2000 and now reaching thousands of US students at the high school level. Our highest leverage program, Materials Camps for Teachers was available at 34 locations in 2011, reaching 25-30 high school teachers at each for a week of immersion in hands-on learning about materials. Typically 60% of these participants teach chemistry and can readily bring these lessons to their own classrooms. As a direct consequence of this program, there are now ~ 120 high school teachers offering full elective courses on materials science and/or materials technology in high schools across the land.