Materials Science Activities at Home!

Looking for high-quality science and engineering activities that your young learner can do from the comfort of your home? Well then, we’ve got you covered! Check out our At-Home Science Activities page! On that page, you’ll find videos guiding you through the activities, links to more detailed information, and age range. All the activities we post on that page will have their estimated cost listed, as well. We are aiming for the activities to be inexpensive, or even better, FREE!

(2020) Wisconsin MRSEC Excellence in Open Science Prize

The Wisconsin MRSEC is committed to being a leader in Open Science, which shares data in digital forms following FAIR1 principles. As part of these efforts the Center has developed a new web site, a best practices guide, and held informational events. This year the Center launched the first Wisconsin MRSEC Excellence in Open Science Prize. The winner was graduate student Bradley Dallin2 for his work on molecules interacting with water, with potential applications from understanding human blood to protein folding diseases like Alzheimer’s. Bradley shared his results in papers, but also shared all his simulations and tools in an open accessible format for the community, increasing the impact of his work.

(2020) In Situ Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation for Challenging Problems in Oxide Crystallization

Researchers at the Wisconsin MRSEC have developed a new instrument using very bright synchrotron x-ray beams to watch nanoscale crystals as they grow. The system has a unique design that allows the crystals to grow in vacuum while keeping the x-ray lenses and the x-ray beam in air but bringing them very close to the crystal. Wisconsin MRSEC researchers are using this new instrument to learn about solid phase epitaxy, a process based on the growth of ordered crystals from a disordered amorphous solid, which is capable of creating new materials for applications in electronics, optics, sensors, and quantum information.