Fall 2006
In This Issue:
Focus On Optical Materials
Web Slingers and Science Nerds at ASM Nano Camp
High school students from all parts of the country traveled to University Park in early July to participate in the first-ever ASM International materials camp to be held at Penn State. Allen Kimel, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, led the campers through four days of intensive hands-on lab work, with help from several noted faculty scientists.
Dr. Allen Kimel (l) watches the poster display on the steps
of Steidle Bldg. along with Ginny Shirk of the ASM Materials
Education Foundation and Scott Giesler,
Society Program Coordinator for ASM International.
The focus of the Penn State camp was nanotechnology, the science and engineering of materials on the size scale of atoms, molecules, and macromolecules. Penn State has strong programs in nanotechnology research, including a National Science Foundation-supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) called the Penn State Center for Nanoscale Science, a nanofabrication facility (Nanofab), and the National Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (NNEU) program.
Students had the opportunity to participate with faculty scientists working at the leading edge of their respective fields. Campers learned about nanoparticles from James Adair, professor of materials science and engineering and director of the NSF Particulate Materials Center, who focused on drug delivery and imaging materials inside nontoxic nanoparticles that can attach themselves to specific tumors within the body. On day two, Suzanne Mohney, professor of materials science and engineering, introduced the students to thin films, layers of atoms a few nanometers deep that are made by vapor deposition and can be used as electrical contacts in electronic devices.
Tom Mallouk, director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry, led the campers through the fabrication of nanowires, quasi-onedimensional structures with unusual electrical properties that have potential uses in computing, electronics, and solar cell technology. And, on day four, Evangelos Manias, associate professor of materials science and engineering and director of the Polymer Nanostructures Lab, provided a workshop on polymer nanocomposites, a field of study with wide application for making stronger plastics with unique functions.
Students applied through the ASM Materials Camp website or were encouraged by their teachers to apply, according to Jenny Shirk of the ASM Materials Education Foundation, which coordinates the materials camps. There are three residence camps that draw students from all over the country and several commuter camps that pull in local students, she said. Penn State's camp, the only camp that focuses on nanotechnology, had students from as far away as California and North Dakota. Admission to the camp was competitive; students had to provide a high school transcript and an essay to ASM headquarters.
Dr. Kimel, the Penn State faculty coordinator, said, “It was exciting for 21 kids, most of whom consider themselves science nerds, to meet up with people like themselves.” The students socialized at an evening cookout at Whipple's Dam and listened to several faculty give evening talks on “materials and the movies.”
“That was a fun way to introduce the subject of materials,” Kimel said. “Paul Howell talked about Superman and kryptonite, and Chris Muhlstein discussed the imaginary metal alloy adamantium that makes Wolverine's superhard claws in the X-Men movies.” In Kimel's discussion of Spiderman, he compared the actual strength of real spider webs to the web Spiderman uses to swing between buildings.
On Friday, the final day of camp, teams of students presented posters in front of Steidle Building based on their four days of nano research. Unsuspecting visitors to the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts were lured into poster talks about nanotechnology as they strolled by.
Asked what they got from the week's experience, Sahil, an incoming senior from Maryland, said, “I didn't know much about nanotechnology before the camp. What I found out is that the potential is vast. Nano can apply in biology, physics, or chemistry. There are lots of opportunities in nano and materials. I'm thinking about getting into materials science and engineering.”
And Julia, a senior from Cupertino, CA, whose poster on thin films showed how they had created an aluminum mirror on a glass substrate using argon gas, said, “I've never seen anything like this. It's all new. We learned a little about nanotechnology at school, but really nothing like this.” Griffen, a student from Pittsburgh, agreed. “I took a nanotechnology camp last year, so I thought I knew a lot. There I just learned something about the machines. I came to this camp and it was like I knew nothing. I learned a lot more than just the machines.”
ASM Materials camps are free to the campers. The tuition, meals, activities, and supplies are all provided at no charge. Students and their families are responsible only for transportation to and from the camp.
Dr. Kimel hopes to bring back the ASM nanocamp again next summer, and would be happy to have faculty from other departments involved. He can be contacted at Validate to view contact info.
For more info about ASM materials camps visit www.asminternational.org/foundation
