A Glimpse Of Georgia Tech's Outreach Program

The 1994-1995 school year was a turning point for the TMS/ASM joint student chapter at the Georgia Institute of Technology. A group of dynamic officers revitalized the chapter by promoting membership drives, increasing student/faculty interaction, forging stronger ties with industry, and conducting a very successful student outreach program. Volunteers shared their materials experience with middle and high school students through interactive learning sessions. A glimpse of this was presented in an article that appeared in the December 1994 issue of Professional Preface.

In continuation of the foundation laid last year, Georgia Tech's TMS/ASM student chapter has embarked on a vigorous outreach program that we hope will become a tradition for years to come. From June through August, high school students from various schools on the United States' eastern coast were hosted by our chapter as part of the Pre-College Engineering Program (PREP) and Minorities Introduction to Technology and Engineering (MITE)at Georgia Tech. More than 100 students were introduced to the facilities and the education program at the School of Materials Science and Engineering over four weeks. Interactive demonstrations were conducted on the Reichert MeF3A light microscope and the Hitachi HF-2000 and JOEL 4000 transmission electron microscopes. Everyone seemed fascinated by the dead ant observed under the Hitachi S-800 scanning electron microscope. A tour of the Mechanical Properties Research Laboratory (MPRL) exposed all of the guests, and some of the volunteers, to the world of mechanical testing and fracture mechanics.

Since these tours were such a success, we decided that it would be worthwhile sharing this experience with the rest of the materials community. We hope that the following glimpse of a typical tour will interest our fellow TMS/ASM student members.

The tour started with a welcome address from Parmeet Grover, student chapter president. The importance of materials science and engineering in today's technologically advanced world was explained, and the students were made aware of the potential career opportunities in the field. Numerous brochures and other related reading materials were given to each student, and a question and answer session was conducted.

Ralph Napolitano, Jr., introduced the inquisitive group to the world of microstructures and optical metallography. He emphasized the role of microstructures in materials design and the importance of tailoring them to achieve desired material properties.

At the scanning electron microscope, Sandy Magnus enthralled all by getting closer to an ant. In the process, she talked about the instrument and its capabilities, drawing appropriate comparisons with the optical microscope.

The next stop was the transmission electron microscope. The $1.5 million price tag on the Hitachi HF-2000 widened most eyes and drew cautionary notes from the accompanying group leaders. But Dr. Wagon put the pupils at ease and deftly explained the complicated instrument, prompting many questions.

The last stop was the MPRL. President Grover introduced the group to mechanical testing. The importance of the mechanical integrity of structural materials was linked to the need for laboratory testing. Servo-hydraulic test frames, a vacuum test system, and a number of test specimen configurations were shown and related to real-life situations.

The success of these tours rested on the enthusiastic participation by the TMS/ASM member volunteers including Dr. Janet Hampikian, Eden Hunt, Carter Hamilton, Chris Muhlstein, and Yolande Berta.

In continuation of these efforts, numerous programs have been planned for the remaining part of 1995-1996. Georgia Tech hopes that this program proves to be a positive means of promoting materials science and engineering to the local community and, above all, to the youth of this country.

--Parmeet Grover