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ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES • JUNE 2014 54
ASM
news
HIGHLIGHTS... Delhi Iron Pillar
For information on upcoming ASM Courses,
contact Liz Halderman, ASM Lifelong Learning Representative
at .
From the Foundation
“Materials Matter”
New after-school program
Lyle Schwartz
ASM Materials Education
Foundation Board of Trustees
N umerous studies over many
years have consistently re-
vealed an achievement gap in
STEM knowledge and low STEM
career interest among middle school students.
Using content from the ASM Materials Camp
for Teachers, ASM Materials Education Foundation
is launching a trial program that focuses on engaging
middle school children and exciting them about pur-
suing STEM education. The program will encourage
students to see the world around them as one in
which science is transformed into technology through
engineering. The primary goal of the program is to
stimulate an interest in learning more about STEM as
students move to high school.
Over a two-year timeframe, the ASMMaterials Ed-
ucation Foundation will organize, test, and evaluate
the materials-based STEM after-school program de-
signed to be readily replicated in many locales. The
new program will be centered on existing ASM de-
veloped content and has been designated as the “Ma-
terials Matter” Program. Working in small groups,
students will use hands-on experiments to explore
concepts of physical science while learning to inde-
pendently draw generalizations and apply basic engi-
neering principles. This model STEM program will
focus on common materials such as metals, ceram-
ics, polymers, and composites. These structural ma-
terials are ideal as examples to assist STEM learners
in linking science to application. Research has docu-
mented this approach to be a proven pathway that
will engage and excite students about STEM subjects
and ASM has effectively demonstrated this premise
at the high school level over the past 14 years.
The program development strategy requires en-
gaging an institution as a partner to host the after-
school program and participate fully in its
development, advertising, fielding, and evaluation.
ASMMaterials Education Foundation has been fortu-
nate in identifying two ideal partners, each bringing
unique expertise and experience to the project. To-
gether, these two demonstrations of “Materials Mat-
ter” will provide the basis for extension to most
after-school environments.
As the ASMMaterials Education Foundation con-
tinues to expand their suite of programs, it is imper-
ative to garner support. The Foundation needs your
help to continue advancing their mission “to excite
young people in materials, science, and engineering
careers.” Please consider making a tax-deductible do-
nation today. Contact us at
or 800.336.5152 ext. 5538.
Grants of $800 each were awarded to these Mate-
rial Advantage Chapters for their winning projects:
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Georgia Tech
• University of Washington
• University of Minnesota
• University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
To date, 67 Material Advantage Chapter activities have received fi-
nancial support from the ASM Foundation through the Student
Chapter Grants Program. We are confident that these Material Ad-
vantage Student Chapter leaders will utilize the grants to the fullest
with their strong commitment to attract and excite young minds in
the field of science and engineering.
Winning proposals may be viewed online at .
For more information about the Student Chapter Grants program,
contact Jeane Deatherage at 440.338.5151 ext. 5533 or
.
HISTORICAL LANDMARK
Delhi Iron Pillar
The ASM board selected
the famous Delhi Iron Pillar
as a 2013 Historical Land-
mark Winner with input
from the Indian Institute of
Metals, the Indian National
Academy of Engineering,
and the Archaeological Sur-
vey of India (ASI). The Iron
Pillar, located in Delhi, was
constructed during early
400 CE and is 7.21 meters
tall, and weighs more than 6
tons. Made of wrought iron,
it stands—without any cor-
rosion or degradation de-
spite the highly tropical
climate—as pristine as when
it was built more than 1600
years ago. Modern studies
began in 1861 with the es-
tablishment of ASI. A major advancement occurred in 1912 in a study
by Sir Robert Hadfield that determined the composition of the pillar
and its microstructure. He noted that the monument, made by the
tribes of India for their emperor in the 5th century, was beyond the
capabilities of European iron masters until the end of the 18th cen-
tury. Its corrosion resistance has intrigued many, with the first paper
on the rust-less wonder published in Nature by Hudson in 1953.
Congratulations to the
2014 Winners of the
Student Chapter Grants!
For a list of upcoming ASM Training Courses,
see our ad on page 34 of this issue.