[Image above] Northern California Section members attend MSE Summer Camp at UC Davis Credit: ACerS
The 2026 UC Davis Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Summer Camp, supported by The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and ASM Foundation and led by Amir Saeiei, assistant professor of teaching, was held at UC Davis from July 8-11, 2026. The four-day program provided 10 admitted students with an introduction to materials science and engineering through lectures, hands-on activities, demonstrations and interactions with faculty, industry professionals, alumni and current students.
The camp covered a broad range of MSE topics, including metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, materials properties, electrical and mechanical properties, energy storage and materials characterization. Hands-on activities, the majority of which were adapted from the Materials Science Classroom Kit, were an important component of the program and included demonstrations of superconductivity and magnetism, heat treatment of paperclips and bobby pins, shape memory alloys and thermal conductivity of aluminum oxide bricks. Students also performed hardness and impact testing, assembled batteries, made concrete and participated in a competition to develop concrete that could remain intact after being dropped. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) session introduced students to advanced materials characterization.
Two invited speakers provided real-world perspectives on engineering. Anand Samnat from Materion discussed materials properties and their applications, while Dorsa Shirazi from NASA’s Ames Research Center introduced the engineering design process through the example of the Ingenuity Mars helicopter. Two recent graduates of the UC Davis MSE program also volunteered throughout the camp, assisting with activities and sharing their experiences with students.
The final day brought students and their families together for additional engagement. James Shackelford, professor of materials science and engineering, served as a guest speaker and discussed glass, its structure, properties and applications. His talk was followed by a panel of MSE alumni and current students, who answered questions from students and parents about the MSE program, the field of materials science and engineering, student experiences, and career and job opportunities.
Overall, the 2026 UC Davis MSE Summer Camp was a success. The combination of hands-on experiences, classroom instruction, guest speakers and interactions with students and graduates gave participants an engaging introduction to MSE and demonstrated the field’s broad range of applications and career opportunities.
