The course comprises talks, question and answer sessions, and hands-on experiments (some you may never meet at school, and some that you will definitely not meet at school!). The sessions are led by experts from academia, industry and school staff, and supported by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable group of Materials Magicians (sixth form students from St Paul’s). All of the teaching is done in small groups so that everyone has an opportunity to get involved and each group has a dedicated mentor, an early-career materials expert, to offer support and guidance throughout the course.
The residential aspect provides the time to absorb the information from the day's sessions, to get to know people from across the country and the opportunity to be part of an academic ‘conference’ environment. Students stay in the school’s boarding house with a full pastoral care package and all meals and refreshments are included.
Who can attend the course?
Is the course really free?
Yes, the course really is free! All you need to do is get yourself to and from the school; we provide everything in between. All meals and refreshments are included, you will stay in the school's boarding house and we will provide a comprehensive pack with all the information you will need for the duration of the course.
Thanks to the generosity of the Armourers and Braisers' Company, we are also able to offer a bursary of upto £100 per student to contribute towards the cost of travel.
How is the course structured?
We have designed the timetable very carefully to give attendees the chance to investigate as many different types of materials as possible. The course includes talks and practicals exploring the fundamentals of materials science - how we characterise structure and properties, and the main classes of materials (metals, composites, polymers and ceramics). Practical activities include learning to use the school's scanning electron microscope, making carbon fibre composite rods and testing metals to destruction. In addition, there are problem solving / team building activities, case studies and a number of opportunities for a bit of competition.
During the evenings there are organised activites after dinner but then a chance to relax before bed time.
How do I apply?
If you would like to go on the course you'll need to apply - simply click on the link below to visit the booking website. There are two forms to be completed, one for the student and a separate form to be completed by the nominating teacher. Both forms must be signed and submitted by the closing date for an application to be considered. It is very important to get permission from school to attend the course as it takes place during term time and failure to demonstrate that permission to attend has been given will result in your application being rejected. There is no limit to the number of applications that a school can submit but a maximum of three places will be allocated per school.
Registrations for the 2024 course from 8-10 July have now closed.