4th International Materials Education Symposium

The event will be held at Cambridge University

Symposium—themes

  • Innovation and change
  • Crossing disciplines
  • Materials, government, and industry
  • International Perspectives

Thank you to all those who took part in this event for materials educators in undergraduate engineering, design, and science. The feedback has been very positive, and we look forward to welcoming you to next year's event on April 4-5, 2013.

Attendees can now download PDF copies of the presentations from the Program:

Speaker Program Reports

Event details

  • Symposium: April 12-13, 2012
  • Courses: April 10-11, 2012

Venue: University of Cambridge, UK
Please note that a visa is required to enter the UK from some countries. More »

Agenda—summary

MATERIALS EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM
Wed, April 11 Presenters' Dinner
Thur, Apr 12 Symposium Day 1—attendees can download  PDFs linked from the program
Poster session 1
Fri, Apr 13 Symposium Day 2—attendees can download  PDFs linked from the program.
Poster session 2
Sat, Apr 14 Granta Development Meeting (at Granta offices),
Punting and walking tour of Cambridge

The Social Programme includes the Presenters' Dinner on the Wednesday, the Drinks Reception and Symposium Dinner on Thursday, and opportunites for exploring Cambridge on the Saturday.

The Symposium is preceded by optional short courses, led by Prof. Mike Ashby:

OPTIONAL SHORT COURSES
Tue, Apr 10 Introducing Materials and the Environment »
(CES EduPack course)
Wed, Apr 11 Advanced Materials Selection and Eco Design »
(CES EduPack course)


Overview

Materials science and materials engineering sit at the intersection of many different subject areas (see figure, below), and play an important role in education and industry as they link the pure and applied sciences across many fields. This breadth makes these subjects uniquely well placed to contribute to the solution of many of today's challenges (see themes). The interdisciplinary nature of materials teaching will be a major focus for the Symposia as we explore how materials can link different subjects together, and learn from experiences of teaching materials and processes across the curriculum.

Materials science, as Prof. Mike Ashby argued in his opening talk for this session, is a bridging discipline, linking the pure and applied sciences across many fields. These events for materials educators follow on from the success of the 2011 symposia, which delegates praised for providing extended opportunities for discussion and encouraging the exchange of ideas and experiences related to materials teaching. The symposia fostered an atmosphere of community amongst educators involved in teaching undergraduate materials science across disciplines including engineering, design, and science. The 2012 symposia are being coordinated by Granta Design, with support from an independent academic Advisory Committee, ASM International, the ASEE Materials Division, SEFI, FEMS, TMS, California Polytechnic State University, and the University of Cambridge. more »

On the two days preceding the Symposium, you can attend optional CES EduPack Short Course. Hosted by Professor Mike Ashby, these demonstrate the use of CES EduPack. The Presenters Dinner will be held on the Wednesday night.

On the Saturday morning after the Symposium, Granta will host a Development Meeting for anyone interested in a more detailed review and discussion of Granta's CES EduPack development plans. There will also be opportunities of socializing, including a walking tour of Cambridge and punting on the River Cam.