MSE Collaborates with ASU to Host MateriAlZ Workshop
The workshop gives undergraduates one-on-one access to industry leaders and top researchers in materials science.
Undergraduates traveled from across the United States, converging on the Biosphere 2 research campus in January for the inaugural MateriAlZ Winter School. The week-long workshop, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Arizona Society for Coating Technology, was a collaborative effort between the College of Engineering and Arizona State University materials science professors.
Scientists from academia and industry gave lectures on multi-disciplinary materials science career opportunities in quantum, biomaterials, machine learning and semiconductors. Scattered between lectures were panels on career preparedness, specifically aimed at covering grant writing, self-promotion, and networking.
Krishna Muralidharan opened the gathering with an introduction to planetary materials – leftovers from the formation of the solar system like meteorites, interplanetary dust particles and samples of other planets.
“The unsung heroes of NASA space missions are the materials scientists. We are the ones analyzing the materials retrieved from space,” said the professor of materials science and engineering. “There is a huge opportunity to be hired as a materials scientist for space missions or NASA. Defense and aerospace companies are always looking for materials scientists.”
Click here to read how the workshop opened industry doors for MSE students.