Why is Materials Education important?

Materials Science and Engineering links many different disciplines. It is a bridge between designers, who use materials, and scientists, who devise and develop new ones. It deals with the physical stuff of which everything is made, and thus connects engineering and scientific concepts with the real world of products and people. It is critical to our survival in an increasingly technology and material-dependent world.

Our “Why is Materials Education important?” 5 min video gives an overview of how Granta provides resources and support for anyone teaching materials or related topics.

An international community

Watch the video in:

• French (visit our French web pages)
• German (German web pages)
• Spanish (Spanish web pages)

We also have web pages in:

Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Korean.

A shared vision

Our task, as educators, is to inspire students to learn more about Materials Science and Engineering. This is best achieved through their involvement and so the GRANTA EduPack suite of resources, methods, and databases had been designed to support this, both at a simple level (exploring materials and their properties) and a more advance level (design of new materials, Eco-audits of products, analysis of projects for Sustainable Development). More can be done to move from a “teach me” phase to a “involve me” future and there are many ways you can help:

• Participate in one of the Materials Education Symposia, where you can share experiences of new teaching approaches such as:
  • The “Flipped Classroom” approach
  • Activity-based projects
  • Role-playing as a tool for Sustainability analysis
  • The development of on-line courses (MOOCs)
• Share projects, resources and experiences with academics across the world by contributing a Teaching Resource.