What is our logo?
Our MRSEC logo shows the arrangement of atoms at the surface of a crystal. Crystals are made up of layers, or "planes" of atoms, perfectly stacked in an ordered pattern. Because this surface has been cut at a slight angle to the crystal planes, it appears "stepped" (we call this type of surface a vicinal surface). Modern scanned-probe microscopes, such as the STM, allow us to see the atoms at the surface of a crystal, producing images very similar to this one.

University of Maryland

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center

Undergraduate & Graduate Programs

MRSEC - American Institute of Physics (AIP) Joint Society of Physics Student Summer Internship

The internship is a nine-week program designed to provide students with informal science education training and development activities at UMD and AIP. Activities include training workshops, independent and team module development, and teaching summer camp programs. Students work with MRSEC camp leaders to learn curriculum, develop teaching skills, and lead demonstrations and laboratories during summer programs. Each summer, students develop a project and implement it in a summer camp. These physics activities, called SOCKS, are disseminated by AIP to teachers across the country.