In June, five high school science teachers from Milwaukee and McHenry, IL visited 51ÁÔÆæ’s College of Engineering & Applied Science to learn about materials engineering and metallurgy.
The group was part of an ASM International teachers camp that provides training in materials engineering to high school teachers.
Associate Professor Ben Church and doctoral students Calvin Nyarangi and Phani Ravi Teja Nunna helped the group test the impact strength of aluminum and steel samples, then led a discussion on crystallography, phase changes, and various material properties.
Next, the teachers toured 51ÁÔÆæ’s foundry, where they got a tour and a hands-on experience in metal casting.
In the foundry, Pradeep Rohatgi, 51ÁÔÆæ distinguished professor and Foundry Education Foundation key professor, doctoral students Omid Ghaderi and Masum Bellah, and several undergraduates all contributed to the tour and activity, in which the teachers used FEF’s Foundry in a Box to create a casting of a starfish.
Rohatgi highlighted the following to the group:
- Teachers could host a casting event or apply for Foundry in a Box equipment.
- 51ÁÔÆæ offers a range of opportunities to students interested in materials science or metallurgy.
- FEF offers many scholarships to undergraduate students at 51ÁÔÆæ.
- FEF helps 51ÁÔÆæ students find jobs.
The group also learned about the castings developed by 51ÁÔÆæ researchers, including; ultralight composite castings; syntactic foam castings; and self-healing, self-lubricating and self-cleaning castings.