On November 25, 2002, about 70 students from an engineering class at Glenbrook South High School (Glenview, IL) and an Advanced Placement chemistry class at Evanston Township High School (Evanston, IL) visited the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Northwestern University. During their visit, the students met with researchers in four labs: Scanning Probe Microscopy, Electron Microscopy, X-ray, and Mechanical Testing. The students observed thought-provoking demonstrations related to the researchers' work and had the opportunity to ask questions. The students' busy day concluded with a pizza party, hosted by the researchers.

Kate Heroux, a chemistry teacher at Lake Forest High School (Lake Forest, IL) and co-author of the Food Packaging Module, has developed a high school course that is based on the Materials World Modules. The course, called Materials Design, is offered to seniors at Lake Forest High School on a single semester basis, although students can enroll in the course each semester for credit. The students vary in ability and experience. The course uses an open-ended inquiry through design approach. Working in small groups, students develop a design project, which reflects the interests of the group members. While working on their designs, students have sought the advice of experts in academia and industry. "People really seem to like to work with high school students and help them succeed," says Kate. "While participating in the Materials Design course, students have shown resourcefulness and ingenuity. They have developed communication skills and found appreciation for real-world complexities at all levels. They have also learned science."
Each semester, Kate's students present their final design projects during a day-long symposium that is open to the school and the community. The Materials Design course has become so successful that next year, Lake Forest High School may offer additional sections, so more students can participate.

Judie Elenbass, a physics teacher at Naperville North High School (Naperville, IL), gave a hands-on presentation of the Sports Materials Module for teachers attending the annual conference of the Illinois Science Teachers Association (ISTA), which took place November 7-9, 2002, in Charleston, IL. With Judie's help, the teachers performed each of the activities in the module, which included measuring the rebound of sports balls made of various materials and observing how surfaces made of different materials affect a ball's rebound. The teachers also observed mini-golf balls that were designed by Judie's students and compared how well the balls performed. The activities and students' design projects were enthusiastically received by the teachers. A discussion followed, during which teachers explored how they might use the Sports Materials Module in their classes.