Tour of Illinois’ Materials Research Lab through I-MRSEC sparks Franklin students’ interest in Materials Science

Photo of Franklin STEAM Academy students, teachers, and MRL staff during a tour of the MRL cleanroom on February 8, 2023. [Photo: Virgil Ward]

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Tue, 03/07/2023 - 06:00

“I can.”

That’s what Krisha, an 8th grader at Franklin STEAM Academy, said confidently when asked if she could see herself pursuing a college education in material sciences.

Krisha and 43 7th- and 8th-grade classmates from the Champaign middle school had completed a tour of the Material Research Laboratory (MRL) in early February. The tour was part of the Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (I-MRSEC) Musical Magnetism program that included visits to a scanning electron microscope, B80: Optical profilometer, Dynamical Mechanical Analysis, a virtual reality classroom, X-ray and fluorescence labs, and the clean room.

https://www.istem.illinois.edu/news/Franklin.MRL.visit.2022.html

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The Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center is supported by the National Science Foundation MRSEC program under NSF Award Number DMR-1720633.

Additional support is provided by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Materials Research Laboratory.

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Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.