Materials Science and Engineering Summer Institute

Are you an aspiring scientist or engineer looking to learn about how people create materials that improve our lives?

Explore materials science and engineering while learning about nanotechonology and sustainability during a week-long Summer Institute!

Students prepare their glass substrates for creation of a dye-sensitized solar cell
Students deposit a titanium dioxide paste on glass during creation of a dye-sensitized solar cell
Copper-polymer composite test samples being 3D printed
Students measuring the power output of a silicon-based solar panel
Students learning how to properly mechnically test their 3D-printed polymer samples
Student group presenting their experimental results at the end of the week
Scanning electron microscope image of electrospun polymer nanofibers
Students pose by Mario the Dragon at the end of the week
Students prepare their glass substrates for creation of a dye-sensitized solar cell
Students deposit a titanium dioxide paste on glass during creation of a dye-sensitized solar cell
Copper-polymer composite test samples being 3D printed
Students measuring the power output of a silicon-based solar panel
Students learning how to properly mechnically test their 3D-printed polymer samples
Student group presenting their experimental results at the end of the week
Scanning electron microscope image of electrospun polymer nanofibers
Students pose by Mario the Dragon at the end of the week

Materials are at the core of technological advances across all fields of science and engineering. From the ever-shrinking microchip containing billions of nanoscale transistors to advances in drug delivery for cancer therapy, materials scientists and engineers manipulate atomic structures to change properties on small and large scales. The future possibilities for materials innovations are endless and continue to contribute to improving our daily lives.

Program Overview

The Drexel University Materials Science & Engineering Summer Institute will give rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors the chance to learn about how atomic elements arrange themselves to form the materials that are all around us. Furthermore, the Summer Institute will emphasize how variables in processing of materials determine physical, mechanical, electrical and thermal properties.

Through science and engineering activities, students will gain an understanding of how materials impact the fields of energy, biotechnology, electronics, and aerospace. Sustainability and nanotechnology will be a theme woven through all of the modules.

Modes of Program Delivery

  • In-Person Sessions: July 13-16, 2026 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM each day (Monday - Thursday)
  • Online Session: July 20-23, 2026 12:30 - 4:30 PM each day (Monday - Thursday)

Fee

  • $750 for the in-person program.
  • $450 for the online program.

Apply!

The applications will be available starting in December 2025.

More Information

For more information or questions please contact Dr. Christopher Weyant at cmw329@drexel.edu.