ASM Materials Camp 2012 - Teachers Tour

ASM Materials Camp-Teachers is a proven program that strengthens the curriculum in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at the secondary level. By introducing teachers to the engineering professions through Materials Science, we influence students for years to come. Materials Science excites students' interest because the student has everyday, hands-on experience with materials.  Thus, materials topics are great motivators in any engineering, technology or science course.  Materials are also a very important and an integral part of the manufacturing process.

This international program is offered by the ASM Materials Education Foundation, in fulfillment of its Mission: "To excite young people in materials, science, and engineering careers." Since 2002, ASM Materials Camps have introduced thousands of high school teachers to hands-on learning about the role of materials in our daily lives. These week-long professional development workshops are held on college campuses, high schools and community colleges throughout the United States and Canada during the summer. For teachers, this is an excellent opportunity to re-visit science principles, do experiments and bring new lessons into the classroom. 

The program is based on past experiences in the areas of curriculum development, teacher training and student programs in Materials Science developed at the University of Washington and Edmonds Community College and supported by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technology Education program.  These programs have demonstrated that Materials Science is an excellent tool to bring together academic and vocational instructors in a common goal of exciting students about science, technology and engineering.

During this one-week workshop, teacher participants learn the basics of Materials Science Technology (MST) as taught at the high school level.  They work hands-on with metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, and develop a greater appreciation for the importance of these materials to modern life.  The teachers see how this heavily project-based course excites students to learn science concepts as they complete projects of personal worth to them.  Whether teachers use the information and concepts as a basis for teaching their own MST course or merely infuse the concepts into an existing science course to increase relevancy, they finish the week prepared to make some important instructional changes as a result of their participation.