Scientific Activities

Materials research is a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative enterprise. As a result, no undergraduate curriculum – be it in chemistry, physics, materials science or engineering – can hope to expose students to all of the opportunities and techniques in the field. For this reason, our summer program includes a number of scientific activities designed to broaden your horizons. These activities include:

TBA

Hands-On Mini Courses

Two-day hands-on mini-courses will be given during the first week of the program. Last year’s courses included:

Introduction to the Machine Shop
Introduction to Electronics
Microscopy

Graduate School: A View from the Trenches

Current Cornell graduate students and faculty will present a forum on graduate school. Topics of discussion will include:

Is graduate school for you?
Career possibilities in materials
Tips and tricks for graduate admissions

Public Speaking Workshop

All students will attend an interactive workshop on public speaking and scientific presentation. This course will emphasize effective communication skills, preparation of slides/transparencies, and the avoidance of common pitfalls.

Public Speaking Presentation.ppt (~3.8Mb)

2010 Research Colloquium

At the end of the program, each student will present a formal talk on his/her research project at the 2010 Research Colloquium.

Out of Lab Experience

Along with the workshops on campus, there is one required field trip off campus. A full day will be spent visiting local small businesses (materials science related).