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Outreach: CSEM's Outreach Program for High School Minority Youth, 2002

On March 25-26, 2002 at Caltech in Pasadena, more than one hundred high school youth drawn from magnet science and technology programs throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area assembled at Caltech for the second annual outreach program for minority high school youth (more pictures).

This year's program featured activities designed to impart an understanding of the inter-disciplinary field of materials science, with special presentations on the cutting edge work at the Center for Science and Engineering of Materials (CSEM) and the Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering (CNSE).

Participants assembled each morning at Winnett Lounge on the Caltech campus for morning refreshments and registration. The program began with an ice-breaker, an orientation, and a keynote address. With Caltech undergraduate and graduate students serving as their guides, participants moved about campus for workshops, seminars, activities, lab visits, student reports, and a hosted lunch each day. The overall goal of the conference was to encourage minority youth to consider or continue preparation for a career in math or science. The program aimed to:

  • To inspire a sense of wonder and curiosity about the mathematics, science and engineering, and their contributions to society.

  • To demystify and humanize professionals involved in related fields—including successful minorities—by providing face-to-face, interactive sessions with those professionals.
  • To develop a sense of confidence among participants that they can succeed and prosper in a career in science, math or technology, while contributing to society.
  • To preview the specific challenges and rewards—academic, emotional, and financial—a student will encounter on the way to and as a result of such a career.


Thematic activities on materials science and engineering includeD a keynote address by Professor Harry Atwater, presentations on the types and processing of materials, lab visits and appointments with graduate students and professors affiliated with the Center for the Science and Engineering of Materials. Tuesday featured a historical look at the way different human cultures have used materials for artistic and practical purposes, as well as an exciting look into the future during sessions with several representatives of the Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering. Participants also attended a round of "at-large" appointments with Caltech professors, students, and staff working in fields other than materials science including biology, physics, chemistry, economics, robotics, and astronomy. The program concluded with a round-robin discussion with Caltech Admissions and Financial Aid staff and undergraduate and graduate students focusing on the challenges and rewards along the path to success.


The original program on which our program is based-focusing on computational science awareness—was founded by Caltech Professor Herb Keller, a renowned applied mathematician with the Caltech branch of the Center for Research on Parallel Computation (CRPC). The CRPC, also funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), served as the host and sponsor for the program during the first seven years. This year's primary sponsor is again, the National Science Foundation through a partnership of the NSF-funded Center for the Science and Engineering of Materials and Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering. Co-sponsors include the James Irvine Foundation and the Caltech Office of Minority Student Affairs. Caltech and the professionals whose work is sponsored by the National Science Foundation are committed to a variety of programs that reach out and inspire segments of our society who are under-represented in math and science-related careers. For more information, please contact:
Tuesday, March 26, 2002
7:30 Transfer to Caltech.
8:30 Arrival and Refreshments. Come on in! Enjoy our donuts, fruit and juice.
9:00 Morning Briefing. What's in store for the today? A briefing by program staff.
9:10 Student Reports. Remaining student reports or community presentations.
9:20 Beautiful People - Beautiful Things! Every person, every culture brings a unique approach to the world. What useful & beautiful things have our predecessors created? Materials hey used? How fashioned? Featuring examples from one or more cultures; and explanations by representatives of local galleries and museums.
9:35 Beauty, Vision and Perception. Are there common notions of what beauty is? Do we all see the same thing? How? What circumstances affect what we do perceive? Featuring JASON HICKEY, CNSE, with a thought provoking presentation.
9:50 Future Visions (Group Discussion). What will the future look like? Our homes? Communities? Jobs? Where is your place in this world? Who will decide where that is? What combination of hard work, intelligence and creativity will get us there?
10:00 Making Stuff Do Stuff (Video Presentation). Vision, Olfaction (Smell), Hearing, Touch, Learning, Decision making, and Pattern Recognition…These are all things that even simple biological organisms perform far better and more efficiently than the fastest digital computers. This video will show how scientists and engineers at the CENTER FOR NEUROMORPHIC SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (CNSE) are working to translate our understanding of biologic systems into a new class of electronic devices that imitate the way animals sense and make sense of the world.
10:20 CNSE Welcome. Featuring BOB CARROLL, CNSE Managing Director…Followed by Transfer To CNSE Appointments
10:30 CSEM-CNSE Appointments. Participants will form six groups (1-6)…Groups 1-3 will attend a 10:30-10:50 appt. with one of the following presenters: 1. MALCOLM MACIVER (Electric Fish); 2. FEI FEI LI (Vision Lab); and, 3. ADAM HAYES (Swarm Intelligence). Groups 4-6 will attend a 10:55-11:15 appointment (repeated) with one of the above. Participants will be responsible for a brief report upon their return.
11:30 Student Reports #2. : Presentation of information from CSEM observations and appointments by each team. What did you learn?
12 noon Lunch. A gourmet feast!? Be ready to transfer to Caltech appointments @ 12:30.
12:30

Briefing And Transfer. For Caltech Appointments.
12:45 Caltech Appointments At-Large (Track #3). The full group will form several teams for appointments with Caltech professors, students and staff who will discuss research and work in several fields. Topics: Seismology, Planetary Geology, Biology, Physics, Infrared Astronomy, Robotics, Electrical Engineering and More!
1:45 Student Reports #3. Presentation of information from Caltech observations and appointments by each team. What did you learn?
2:15 Eyeing The (Post-Secondary) Prize. What does it take to get into a top University like Caltech? When does the process begin? What kind of financial support is available? A briefing, featuring RAY PRADO, Caltech Undergrad Admissions, and DAVID LEVY, Caltech Director of Financial Aid.
2:40 Along The Path To Success. The full group will divide four ways for small group discussions with Caltech graduate and undergraduate students. Learn about the challenges and rewards along their personal path to Caltech, their field of study, and their career goals. Feel free to ask questions about your own path to success!
3:30 Program Evaluation. Please take the time to tell us your thoughts!
3:45 Closure. Goodbye! We'll miss you. Be sure to sign our mailing list.
Monday, March 25, 2002
7:30 Transfer to Caltech. Plan departures to enable arrival no later than 9:00.
8:30 Arrival and Refreshments. Greetings, registration; distribution of packets.
8:30 Wall of Wisdom - The Constructed World. On a roll of butcher paper mounted on the wall throughout the program, participants will generate a list of things that are part of the "Constructed World". As their knowledge builds they will add how each thing is used, what kind of or combination of materials each is made of, what properties those materials have, and by what process that thing was created.
9:00 Opening Session. Overview of materials, goals and activities. Introduction to Caltech, participants & graduate student staff. Staff will conclude introductions by saying what they are most excited about learning during this CSEM-CNSE program.
9:20 Human Bingo. An ice-breaker activity designed to familiarize participants with the program and each other. Prizes to be won! Facilitated by Program Staff.
9:50 It's a Material World. In what clever ways have humans used materials throughout history? A discussion of material types; properties; structures; engineering processes and new frontiers. Featuring PROFESSOR HARRY ATWATER, CSEM.
10:10 Community Presentations #1. An opportunity to share information and field questions about your school and community. Presentation Guideline in folder.
10:45 Round Robin #1. Stuff about Stuff. Participants will examine details of five key types of materials...METALS, CERAMICS & GLASSES, POLYMERS, COMPOSITES AND SEMI-CONDUCTORS. A separate "station" will be established for each material, with presenters drawn from research groups led by Caltech Professors Ersan Unstandag, Harry Atwater and Julia Kornfield. Also featuring Mike Meier (UC Davis) and Bob De Groot (CSEM). Participants will rotate for 12-15 minute presentations on each material's internal structure, properties, applications by humans, and how each has been or can be processed (engineered).
12 noon Lunch.
Optional Activities. 1. Visit Instructor Work Space; 2. Teacher Workshop.
12:30 Teacher Workshop #1- What skills & information do math and science programs at Universities expect incoming students to have? How can educators and librarians work together to make this happen? What resources are accessible at Caltech?
12:40 Community Presentations #2. An opportunity for the balance of the students to share information and field questions about your school and community.
1:00 Presto! - Making Stuff From Stuff. Over the years, scientists, engineers and others have discovered....by accident, trial and error or by design...new ways to combine, separate, alter and process materials to create new and more useful materials. During this presentation, participants will receive thumbnail descriptions of historical and current day examples of the TRANSFORMATION of materials through various engineering processes. Featuring CSEM "MC" MARIO BLANCO.
1:45 Briefing and Transfer to Appointments.
2:00

Materials Science - CSEM Appointments - Round #1. The full group will form 6-8 teams for appointments with professors, students and staff doing materials science or materials engineering work. What are they trying to accomplish? What other scientists or disciplines are working towards that same goal? What Materials and Processes do They employ? Methodology? Challenges? Prospects? Participants will be responsible for a brief report upon their return.
3:00 Student Reports #1. Each team of student participants will present information about their materials science lab visits and appointments to the full group.
3:40 Return to Home Schools.

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