MPS Internships in Public Science Education - MPS-IPSE: Making the Nanoworld Comprehensible

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This IPSE award, funded by the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities of the Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences, involves a partnership between Materials Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) on Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces at UW-Madison (UW) and the Discovery World (DW) science museum in Milwaukee aimed at bringing cutting-edge research on advanced materials and nanoscale science and technology into the museum and K-12 school settings. This multi-faceted project will enable Internships for Public Science Education (IPSE) participants to enhance their communication skills substantially while bringing the excitement of state-of-the-art MRSEC research themes to pre-college and public audiences. Through the IPSE program, a diverse group of graduate and undergraduate students will team with UW MRSEC researchers, DW personnel, and K-12 educators to develop grade-appropriate curriculum materials.%%%Initially, laboratory experiments and demonstrations will be developed around existing MRSEC-created education products, making the materials science and engineering concepts associated with such advanced materials as ferrofluids, shape memory alloys, and amorphous metals accessible. New initiatives will create instructional materials for DW and K-12 teachers and students around he current research themes of fullerenes, nanotubes, and Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR). A new module teaching students about polymers in chemical engineering using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) will be produced. An innovative museum program, the Test Pilot Training Program (TPTP), will link IPSE participants with middle and high school students to provide mentoring on scientific themes and career development related to materials science and engineering. These pre-college students will serve as ambassadors for DW, making presentations at DW and local schools, and assisting with the training of newly recruited TPTP participants. Nearly 50 graduate and undergraduate students will participate over the three-year project period. Program results will be disseminated through meetings and publications of professional disciplinary and pan-disciplinary organizations, workshops for regional K-12 teachers that will be held as part of the project, and a workshop held in partnership with the Association for Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). Formal evaluations of the program's impact on museum visitors and on the IPSE participants will be conducted. The UW-DW IPSE project can serve as a model for the professional development of technically oriented students, providing them with rich opportunities for sharing their scientific knowledge and enthusiasm with pre-college and museum audiences. This will enhance the communication skills of IPSE participants while also making the public and K-12 teachers and students aware of exciting research developments. The project will thus contribute to science literacy and to the development of a diverse, technically trained workforce.