Outreach

The UC Davis Mathematics, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) Program, in collaboration with the UC Davis Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) Department, proudly presents our free Career Day Event. The event will take place on Saturday, September 25 from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the UC Davis campus. 

Materials science and engineering professor Ricardo Castro is launching the Engineering Superheroes Initiative to engage kids in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through superheroes. Castro knows from his son Sammy that kids are obsessed with superhero movies and he thinks he can use that love to inspire them to pursue STEM.

Materials science and engineering distinguished professor Alexandra Navrotsky recently co-founded Thermodynamics Consortium (ThermoCon), which aims to connect thermodynamics researchers across multiple disciplines to promote thermodynamics research and deepen ties between academia, industry, national labs and equipment manufacturers.

During this year’s annual UC Davis open house (Picnic Day 2017), MSE students from the Materials Advantage Student Chapter, organized and created a spectacular show on how awesome Materials Science & Engineering is and to inspire a new generation.  The students presented a theatrical show where superheroes, such as Spiderman, Wonder Woman, and even the Green Lantern, required Materials Engineering to recover their superpowers.

Professor Ricardo Castro has developed an innovative new series of outreach and teaching materials on materials science & engineering designed for use in K-12 schools. Through Professor Castro’s efforts a new generation of students will seek careers in materials science!