Educational and Outreach Programs at the University of Chicago's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

Updated

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at the University of Chicago runs education and outreach programs on two tracks: support for researchers (postdoctoral fellowship support) and public-facing programs (a neighborhood Science Club, teacher professional development workshops, and public guest lectures). It also participates in broadening-participation efforts, including a PREM partnership with Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA). These programs sit alongside the center's shared research facilities and its research groups, which the site lists as Superseed (electrical-optical quantum transduction), IRG 2 (Activated Architectured Materials), and IRG 1 (Trainable Soft Materials).

Programs for the research community

The center's site lists postdoctoral fellowship support as its offering "for our research community." If you are a postdoc or a lab considering hosting one, this is the entry point to check for current fellowship opportunities and eligibility details.

Outreach for the neighborhood and the public

  • Science Club — described on the site as "for our neighborhood," this is the center's local community outreach program.
  • Public guest lectures — the site's events and news listings include public-facing lecture series, such as the Physics and Contemporary Architecture Guest Lectures (2025 and 2026 editions appear in the listings).
  • Teacher professional development — the center lists Future-Ready Classrooms: Equipping Educators for Emerging STEM, a workshop series aimed at educators.

Broadening participation

The center names PREM with XULA — a Partnership in Research and Education in Materials with Xavier University of Louisiana — as part of its broadening-participation work. This is the program to look at if you are interested in inter-institutional research and education partnerships rather than single-campus outreach.

How to decide which program fits you

If you are… Start with…
A postdoc seeking funding or affiliation Postdoctoral fellowship support
A local student or family Science Club
A K–12 or STEM educator Teacher professional development workshops (e.g., Future-Ready Classrooms)
A member of the general public Public guest lectures listed under Events/News
An institution seeking a research-education partnership PREM with XULA

Practical notes

The site does not publish schedules, application deadlines, or eligibility criteria for these programs on the pages summarized here, so treat the program names above as a map of what exists rather than a calendar. For current dates and application details, check the center's Events and News sections, where recent items such as the 2025 and 2026 guest lecture series and the 2025 Sloan Fellowship announcements appear.