2025 ASM Materials Experience

May 19, 2025 at Boston University (BU)
About ASM Materials Experience
  • A free 1-day program where high school students participate in learning modules covering many different aspects of materials science and engineering, a peek beyond what is covered in school.
  • Presented by the Boston and Central MA chapters of ASM International, in collaboration with Boston University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  Two Materials Experience NE events are held each year, one at BU and one at WPI, and attending HS students may choose one or the other.
  • Students rotate through seven learning modules with 7-10 students per group.  Space is limited so it is best to apply early.
  • After registering, students will be emailed a confirmation, and a few weeks before the event an information packet and liability waiver will be sent.
  • Lunch is provided for students and attending teachers.
  • Students must provide their own transportation.

If you are an educator who would like to bring a large group of students, please contact us at [email protected].

Event History
In 2000 the ASM Education Foundation introduced the first ASM Materials Camp at its headquarters in Materials Park, OH.  Chapters throughout the ASM organization began hosting their own camps, and in 2006 the Boston, Central Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Northern New England Chapters of ASM International, in collaboration with the Foundation, launched the first event in New England.  The event was held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and annually until 2012, at which time a second event was launched in 2012 at Boston University (BU) due to high demand.  Except for a pause during COVID years, both events have been held at WPI and BU every year since. 
 
Student Attendees
Each year 50-75 high school students attend each event.  Students come from public and private schools, vocational schools, and homeschools.  Most students come from Massachusetts small towns and cities as far away as Springfield, Boston, Worcester, New Bedford, and Lawrence, and also from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.  Students come as part of a class field trip, with a few friends, or by themselves.  All come to experience and participate in a day of learning about the wonders of materials science. 
 
Organization and funding
The Materials Experience New England events at WPI and BU are now organized by the Boston and Central MA Chapters of ASM International and could not happen without the enthusiastic support from WPI, BU, its professors, administrators, and especially their graduate students.  The events are funded through ASM and generous donations from companies and individuals.

Mission Statement
We seek to expose High School students to careers related to STEM, particularly Materials Science & Engineering by:
  • Showing attendees what Materials Science & Engineering consists of
  • Demonstrating that MSE is interesting, intellectually challenging, fun, and relevant to society
  • Informing attendees that good, rewarding careers exist in the field

Format
The event revolves around Learning Modules: 25-minute capsules of exciting hands-on activities accompanied by fundamental explanations of the demonstration.

Past modules have included:
  • Musical Materials
  • Casting
  • Cryogenic Phenomena
  • Hydrogels
  • Shape Memory Alloys
  • Materials Identification
  • Scanning Electron Microscopes
  • Plastic Deformation & Metalworking
  • Shape Memory Alloys
  • Corrosion
  • Plastics
  • Microstructures & Mechanical Properties
  • Heat Treating
  • 3D Printing
  • Mechanical Testing of materials
Campus tours are also available, allowing attendees to experience the atmosphere of an engineering school and discuss materials science & engineering with professionals, students and academics.
Contact us
If you are interested in helping run these exciting events, or if you are a student who has questions about the attending, please contact us at [email protected]
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Contact Us

We are always looking for volunteers to help us plan and carry out the events.

Please contact us at [email protected]


If you have any questions about volunteering, how to attend, or anything else.