Students taking a (virtual) Introduction to Materials Science got an extra surprise this fall. Professor Pinshane Huang and Teaching Assistant Emiliana Cofell packed and sent boxes of sample materials - experiment kits to be used across the semester.

Kits included (among other things): a piece of shape memory alloy (to learn about phase transformations), a solar-powered cricket (used in our section on electronic and energy materials), ball bearings and Dots candies (to help visualize crystal structures). The boxes were handed out to students on campus and mailed to those who are studying from afar. 

“These boxes are one of many ways we have re-imagined the MatSE curriculum to be online, and I hope they will lend that sense of hands-on discovery and curiosity to MSE 182. More broadly, I think the boxes are a reflection of the incredibly supportive atmosphere of the MatSE department.  To the freshmen, this is our welcome to the MatSE family!” said Professor Huang.

“I'm so happy to have been a part of this project, as I believe that hands on learning experiences are extremely valuable as part of a scientific education. I hope that by doing the demos from the box together throughout the semester, our students will feel connected as a class. There are such a wide range of research topics and learning opportunities available to students in MatSE, and I hope that through this class and the demos, students will be even more interested in finding out what this field has to offer!” said Teaching Assistant Emiliana Cofell.