The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Johns Hopkins is one of a number of similar centers around the country that are funded by the National Science Foundation. For a full description of their responsibilities click here. Part of their mission is to engage high school students, high school teachers and undergraduates in the areas of materials science research presently underway at major research universities. The component of this program for teachers is known as RET or Research Experience for Teachers. It involves a commitment of two eight-week sessions over the course of two consecutive summers. During the first summer the teacher is to be involved in some aspect of ongoing materials science research being conducted at the university. During the second summer the teacher is to develop educational modules, based on the previous summers experience, which can be used in the classroom.

First Summer: During the summer of 2002 I worked with Dr. Tom Eagleton, under the direction of Professor Peter Searson, on Cobalt Platinum thin films. Research is being done to take advantage of the magnetic properties of the Cobalt Platinum centered cubic crystalline structure formed under certain conditions. I was able to participate in the creation of these films through the process of electrodepostion. I found flaws in the temperature control processes and was able to develop a method for correcting this problem. I was also able to perform tests to verify the quality of the deposited material such as x-ray diffraction and Auger analysis. In order to perform this research I studied the principles of electrodeposition which required an understanding of Faraday’s Law and Bragg’s law, and I was able to create substrates using the sputtering process.

Second Summer: After consulting with Tom Eagleton the decision was made to develop educational modules in two areas. The first centers on Faraday’s Law and electrodeposition. The second focuses on Bragg’s Law. A practical electrodeposition experiment and simulations of Bragg’s law were developed. To view these modules click here. I also spent time developing this web site.