Our philosophy. As a team, we are deeply passionate about educational outreach and teaching, as evidenced by our numerous awards for creative and innovative teaching methods. Our commitment to educational outreach while conducting cutting-edge research is crucial. By engaging with the general public, we demonstrate that taxpayers’ money is being put to excellent use, benefiting both civilian applications and national security. We believe that education and research go hand in hand, with each fueling the other to enable groundbreaking discoveries. Through our outreach efforts, we aim to inspire and educate, showcasing how our work advances science and engineering for the greater good.
Success stories. As a team, including Prof. Tongay and our dedicated researcher students, we’re driven by a shared passion for educational outreach and higher learning. Our commitment is more than just a mission; it’s a belief that education should know no bounds, empowering every dream to take flight. We’re constantly exploring innovative teaching methods to make this vision a reality. It’s truly heartening to see our efforts recognized through over 10 teaching awards, including the 5% Teaching Award, Engineering Level Top Educator Award, Undergraduate Student Teaching Award, and Graduate Student Teaching Awards. These honors are not just symbols of achievement; they’re reminders of our unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of higher education and making a meaningful difference in the lives of learners everywhere.
1. Educational Outreach Activities
1.1 Materials Science and Engineering Open House
We have been organizing the Materials Science and Engineering Open House, reaching out to high school students across Arizona through in-person activities. During this event, we provided lab tours to give students a firsthand look at our cutting-edge research facilities, delivered a short lecture on the fundamentals and significance of materials science and engineering, and shared lunch with the students and faculty. This immersive experience aimed to spark interest and understanding of the field, showcasing the exciting possibilities and real-world applications of materials science and engineering.
1.2 Materials Science and Engineering Homecoming Booth
In collaboration with the Materials Advantage student chapter, we reached out to families and students in the Phoenix Metropolitan area to introduce the discipline of materials science and engineering. Through this initiative, we offered a variety of hands-on experiments, all conducted onsite. These engaging activities aimed to spark curiosity and provide a deeper understanding of the fascinating world of materials science and engineering, highlighting its importance and applications in everyday life.
1.3 Holiday Cheer with an Engineer
In collaboration with the ASU outreach team, we designed and implemented the nationwide online outreach event “Holiday Cheer with an Engineer” to engage high school students. This educational program aimed to introduce the often-overlooked field of materials science and engineering, showcasing its wonders through holiday-themed topics. Students explored the science behind Christmas LED lights, the metal composition of Chanukkah menorahs, the cooling properties of water affecting ski-quality snow, and the components of everyday electronic circuits. Through these examples, we highlighted the fascinating role materials science and engineering play in everyday life.
2. Higher Education Teaching
2.1 AI driven MSE 212 Microstructure and Properties Laboratories
Through this voluntary teaching and educational outreach, Prof. Tongay has modernized the 212 Laboratory class by incorporating advanced AI tools and innovative lab activities to enhance student learning. Specifically, AI-driven 10-minute video lectures were created using Prof. Tongay’s AI avatar and digitized voice. The lab sessions were updated to include cutting-edge materials at the forefront of materials science, such as high entropy alloys, battery materials (MXenes), quantum emitter semiconductors (excitonic WSe2), and both hot and cold pressed ancient and modern alloys, among others.
2.2 AI driven MSE 451 Materials Characterization Laboratories
Through this voluntary teaching and educational outreach, Prof. Tongay has modernized the 451 Laboratory class by incorporating advanced AI tools and innovative lab activities to enhance student learning. Specifically, AI-driven 10-minute video lectures were created using Prof. Tongay’s AI avatar and digitized voice. The lab sessions were updated to include cutting-edge materials at the forefront of materials science, such as wafer-scale 2D materials, Intel-fabricated chips, MAX and MXene materials, luminescent nanodots, polymeric fibers, composites, and various other thin films and semiconductor wafers.
2.3 AI driven MSE 494/598 Materials Manufacturing and Engineering
This newly developed class introduced the modern foundations of manufacturing science within the materials science and engineering discipline. The curriculum covered bulk growth techniques (Czochralski, Bridgman, float zone, zone refinement, and the Levy method), wafer production (wet and dry etching), oxidation processes (dry and wet chemistry), and thin film growth techniques (ALD, PLA, physical vapor deposition, CVD, sputtering, etc.). Toward the end, the class explored contemporary concepts in materials manufacturing, focusing on semiconductor engineering challenges such as downscaling, FinFET, GAA, and planar geometries, next-generation metal interconnect manufacturing, the quantum information revolution, AI-based computational approaches, neuromorphic devices, non-von Neumann architectures, and VLSI and BEOL/FEOL processes. All lectures were discussion-based and delivered in person, with additional AI-driven 10-minute video lectures created using Prof. Tongay’s AI avatar and digitized voice.
3. Photo Gallery
