K-12 Students
In addition to the PSSI program for high school students, we also have other programs for K-12 students. these include:
A new, week-long program for middle school students who attend Girard College high school. This special program will introduce middle school students to various aspects of materials science with the intent of fostering an interest in careers in science and engineering.
Girard Science Camp 2011: The first edition of the Penn-Girard Science Camp will work with 7th graders between the 6th and 10th of June 2011. The camp will be conducted by two Graduate Students, two Girard Science Teachers, one UPenn Faculty, and Education Directors. The objective of the camp is to expand the frontiers of STEM comfort-levels amongst 7th graders and enable them to become engaged in the pursuit of science. More specifically, objectives of the camp are of educational, affectional, and factual nature.
We have worked with a local high school teacher, Schuyler Patton, to prepare a year-long materials science senior elective course at Central High School. This course is now given in two sections to a total of 66 students each year.
Video conference to Philadelphia classrooms via cable TV. This presentation was given by Professor Dennis Discher - "Blood Cells, Biological and Artificial".
TV and Videoconferenced lectures:
We collaborate with the School District of Philadelphia to present materials-based programs on their Science of Philadelphia TV show on local cable channel 52 and have given 18 such programs since 1998.
We also collaborate with the Penn MAGPI group who interact with hundreds of schools across the country to present hour-long, materials based programs for middle and high schools through Internet 2. These programs are interactive with up to five high schools simultaneously.
A summer research program for a few well-qualified high school students who will work in the laboratories of our associated faculty under the supervision of a graduate student is also available.
Laboratory tours of our facilities for K-12 students and their teachers.
Visits to schools by members of our associated faculty.
- Introduction (400kb)
- Picture in Picture (688kb)
- Yeast cell engulfed by white cell (2,330kb)
- Dr. Rollin Lakis, LRSM 'Electron Microscopy of Biological Materials'
- Dr. Mark Hermanson, Earth and Environmental Science, 'Environmental Electron Microscopy'
- Prof. Dennis Discher, MEAM, 'Artificial Blood'
- Prof. Jorge Santiago, EE, 'Micro-chips'
- Profs. Randall Kamien and Mark Goulian, Physics & Astronomy, 'Science with an Egg'
- Profs. Randall Kamien and Mark Goulian, Physics & Astronomy, 'Microbes in the Kitchen'
- Prof. Russ Composto, MSE, 'Sneaky Polymers'
- Prof. Charles McMahon, MSE, 'Bicycles and their Construction'
- Drs Douglas Yates and James Ferris, SEAS, 'Microscopic Analysis of a Computer Disk'
- Prof. John Crocker, ChE, 'Crystallization and Gellation in the Chamber of Secrets'
- Prof. Karen Winey, MSE, ‘Polymers and Recycling’
- Dr. Mark Hermanson, Earth and Environmental Science, ‘Environmental History from Ice Cores’
- Prof. Shu Yang, MSE, ‘Gelable, swellable polymers’ (June 2004)
- Bill Berner, Physics, ‘Convection in nature’ (Dec. 2004)
- Bill Berner, Physics, ’Franklin’s kite and beyond’ (May 2005)
- Ritesh Agarwal, MSE, 'Introduction to Nanotechnology' (Sept. 2007)
- Daeyon Lee, CBE
- Andrea Liu, Physics & Astronomy