The Grainger College of Engineering
Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Program

GEMS: Material Science and Engineering Camp

Camp is FULL for Summer 2025.
Application is OPEN for Summer 2025. Register Now.
Application is CLOSED for Summer 2025. Notifications of application status will occur in early May.
This is an INVITE-ONLY camp.
Application is TBA for Summer 2025. Check back soon.

Age Group: 10th - 12th

Cost

  • Residential: $1,000 plus a $25 deposit
  • Commuter: $600 plus a $25 deposit
  • Virtual:
  • Day Camp:

Category: 3-D Sessions

Dates:

  • Jul 27 - Aug 2

Residence Hall:

Scholarships: Yes, see details No

Campers sitting around a table looking and interacting with different materials
2022 campers learning about different materials

Everything is made of materials. From buildings to batteries, computers to cars, we depend on advanced materials for many things in our everyday life. Materials science and engineering (MatSE) is all about understanding the structure and properties of materials ranging from the atomic scale to the macro-scale.  Then we learn how to process them to get the desired performance in new and existing technologies.  Advancements in our understanding of materials will enable next-generation technologies for power generation and storage, transportation, sustainable packaging of foods and consumer goods, biomedical applications, and many, many others!

Materials science and engineering is a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary field.  If you like math, physics, chemistry, engineering, or computer science but can’t choose between them—MatSE is the perfect place for you to explore all of these fields under one umbrella.  Campers will explore this diversity through hands-on activities including guided lab activities aimed at introducing key concepts in MatSE and the opportunity to design a prototype based on materials properties that your team discovers.

In GEMS Camp (Gender Equity in Materials Science), you may discover:

  • The Materials Science of Chocolate and Superheros
  • Advanced manufacturing methods ranging from composite fabrication to casting to 3D printing of structural and functional materials
  • Biomaterials including prosthetics, bone scaffolding, and cell mechanics
  • Crystallography via state-of-the-art characterization tools and modeling methods and Materials for sustainable energy solutions including material life cycles, batteries, and photovoltaics

Testimonial

Camper smiling at camera wearing protective goggles and gloves, holding some material
Camper working with materials

“I liked the amount of activities and examples provided since it helped things to click and made the lessons more understandable and interesting than just a lecture. This helped me see various parts of materials engineering, helping me understand what I may want to study in college.” – 2024 GEMS Camper

“The best thing about WYSE camp is that I get to not only explore my passion in engineering, but also get to meet other students with similar passions as mine and talk to professors, industry professionals, and graduate students.” – 2024 GEMS Camper

Staff

Professor Jessica Krogstad received her PhD in Materials at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2012. Her research focuses on material performance in extreme environments (like gas turbine engines and nuclear reactors). Professor Krogstad joined the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Fall of 2014 as an Assistant Professor, but she’s no stranger, having received her BS from the department in 2007. Fun fact: she worked as a Counselor when she was an undergraduate at the University of Illinois!

Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions