This project is developing a laboratory curriculum and laboratory based on the concept and facilities of the Materials Testing Instructional Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The laboratory is providing undergraduate students in the Departments of Aerospace (AERO), Materials Science (MSE), and Mechanical Engineering (MECH) at the University of Maryland (UMD) with an integrated lab experience that connects the nanoscale structure of materials to the macroscopic physical properties. Two experimental systems are being developed, which will facilitate the changes in the curriculum through the use of miniature test specimens: 1) a pair of micro-tensile testers, one for conventional uniaxial testing and one with state-of-the-art biaxial testing capability, and 2) an integrated nanoindentation/AFM testing system. The laboratory curriculum and facilities are being shared across (at least) three Departments at UMD through the use of a common college-wide undergraduate laboratory for the testing and characterization of materials. This sharing of joint undergraduate laboratory facilities across Departments and fields represents a new interdisciplinary view of the undergraduate curriculum that emphasizes micro- and nano-technology, and connection of nanometer and micron scale characterization to macroscopic properties.
The curriculum being developed and associated laboratory facilities integrates recent research in materials characterization and testing into the undergraduate curriculum. The research covers the use of atomic force microscopy and nanomechanical testing of materials along with fabrication and testing of micromechanical systems. These techniques and concepts have not been covered in the undergraduate curriculum and represent the transference of current topics and developments into the educational system. The lab modules being developed will expose students to this rapidly developing field and provide training with direct application in modern manufacturing in the areas of microelectronics, packaging, and MEMs. The lab modules and procedures developed in this revised laboratory curriculum will be provided on the web with metadata for indexing in the National Science Digital Library to allow other institutions to either adopt or modify the materials for their own use. This laboratory will benefit close to 400 students a semester, of which approximately 20% are women and 15% are minorities. This laboratory will also aid the extensive outreach activities for high school students already in place at UMD.
