Edmonds Community College
Lynnwood, WA
MatEd advances materials technology education nationally. It serves as the focal point where the materials community, industry, and education collaborate to meet the needs of the materials technology workforce. MatEd provides easy and direct access to Web-based resources, professional development opportunities, and industry-approved and industry-accepted core competencies.
MST Degree Program Grows
MatEd works closely with Edmonds Community College on its Materials Science Technology (MST) degree program, the only 2-year degree program of its kind in the State of Washington. Through recruitment activities supported by MatEd, the program has grown steadily. In 2009 and 2010, 38 students earned 25 certificates and/or 13 degrees. Some students earned both certificates and degrees.
High Job Placement Rate
MatEd recently surveyed students who had completed its program by earning either a certificate or a degree. Thirty-six of the 37 respondents, or 97%, are currently working in the field of materials science with their monthly salaries ranging from $2,000 to $4,000.
Successful Completion of Internship Program Leads to Employment
MatEd was instrumental in the design and implementation of a unique, replicable educational internship model. By collaborating with the Edmonds Community College MST degree program and industry partners, MatEd created an internship that exposes students to high-tech materials testing and research labs over 2 summers. Employers and students give high ratings to the internship model. Thirteen students were hired directly from their internships; several of these graduates are continuing their education in bachelor’s degree programs.
MatEd Prepares Technicians Who Understand the “Science of Stuff”
MatEd’s collection of modules, labs, and demonstrations informs a national network of educators who are preparing technicians to understand a broad array of materials and their diverse uses. Successful product design relies on the proper selection of materials and raises the demand for technicians who understand the “science of stuff.”
The center established the core competencies that materials science technicians need to know in consultation with partners in industry, secondary schools, community and technical colleges, and universities. These competencies guide the development of MatEd’s modules and technician education courses. MatEd’s modules and courses pass a formal peer review process before they are disseminated via a database that is fully searchable by key words. MatEd continuously expands modules to cover emerging areas of materials science.
MatEd’s National Educators Workshop serves 2- and 4-year college instructors, K-12 teachers, and industry representatives. The workshop features hands-on teaching and learning of materials science with presentations of classroom experiments, labs, and other demonstrations.
The center’s mentoring and instructional materials are helping colleges around the country add materials science to technician education programs. Patricia Taylor, Dean of Engineering Science and Allied Health at Thomas Nelson Community College, explains how MatEd assisted her college: “Thomas Nelson Community College has greatly enhanced its engineering technology program in mechanical engineering by adding a polymers and composites course to the program. The suggestions provided in curriculum content, lab activities, and recommendations for lab equipment were invaluable in our own course development.”
