Maths and Science Teachers Conference 2013

Materials Science

Jayne Shaw Schools Liaison Officer

OXFORD MATERIALS

AIMS

•To introduce Materials Science as a degree subject

•To identify links to national curriculum

•To find out what support and outreach the department offers

•To try out one of our workshop activities.

Materials Science?

Materials

Science

Medicine

Chemistry

Engineering

Mathematics

Physics

Biology

I knew the subject was for me as it combined

my interests of maths and sciences and gave

me a better overview than single disciplines. Sarah (MS - Mansfield College)

Science of Materials ... Structure of substances…

– Ceramics, composites, glasses, metals and polymers.

Chemical / Physical aspects…

– Corrosion, extraction,…

– Electrical, mechanical…

Design of novel materials for…

– Corrosive environments,

– Improved performance,

– New technology.

Valve cells

Collagen scaffold

Heart valve

Part II Research Projects

Making the Future Possible

Molecular computing

High Temperature

Superconductors

Fusion Materials

Photovoltaics

Links to the National Curriculum

Chemistry

• Properties of Materials

• Bonding

• Extraction of metals

• Reactivity series

• Electrochemistry

• Polymers

Physics

• Forces

• Light

• Energy

• Electricity

• Mechanics

• Superconductors

• Thermodynamics

Other Subjects: Maths, D&T, Biology

Materials Outreach September October November December

University Open

Day

School Visits IOM3 Open Day Physics and Materials

Masterclass

Interview Hospitality

January February March April

Hirsch Lecture

Visits to Schools

Visits to Schools Department Open Days

Oxbridge Student

Conferences

Science Week

Materials and Chemistry

Masterclasses

Women in Science

FMWN?

PGCE Courses

May June July August

Yr9 Materials and

Chemistry Day

Headstart

Residential Course

Teachers

conference

UNIQ Residential Courses

School Visits

University Open Days

UNIQ Residential

Courses

Work Experience

Stiffness - From the lab to the

Sky

Tensile Testing Workshop taken

out to schools

Learning Objectives

• How do we measure forces in everyday life?

• How do we measure forces in the lab?

• How can we use computers to help us process data?

• How can we compare specimens and materials fairly?

• How can we choose the best material for a job?

Hand wheel

Rigid

backbone

Dial calibration

screw

Crosshead dial

Specimen

Crosshead

springs

Top crosshead

displacement

Extension

region

Bottom crosshead

displacement

Bottom crosshead

Top crosshead

Reading the Gauge

Small dial shows number

of complete revolutions

(whole mm to add)

One full revolution is 1 mm

Dial marked from 0 to 100

Example shows needle

at 17, which is then 0.17

mm

Data Processing Using Excel

Put your data here

Type your material

here

Imperfect Crystals: Dislocations

Extra half plane of atoms shown in red

“Bonds” being broken and reformed*

* lines are NOT covalent bonds

Alloying: The Role of Carbon in Iron

Materials

Selection Charts

• How can we choose the best material?

• How can we optimise more than one property at once?

• How can scientists target their research?

Bridges

Planes

Acknowledgements

Lewys Jones DPhil Student

Brian Williams Technician

Thank you for the workshops and the admissions talk last week. Our

students enjoyed them enormously and it was a very valuable experience for them to learn first-hand about the properties of the materials tested as well as experimental and analytical techniques. Overall, it gave them a

much better insight into the methods and applications of materials testing

than we could ever hope to offer, and was directly relevant to many areas

of the AS level Physics syllabus.

Thank you very much for the materials workshops yesterday. The student

feedback was very good. We would be interested to have a similar programme

next year if you are still running it.

A big thank you on behalf of the staff and, in particular, the students

here for an enjoyable and informative day yesterday and for

bringing Oxford to us. A number of students have stopped me this

morning to say what a good experience they had and that they

are making plans to contact Admissions tutors etc so the

messages have been taken on board.

Thank you so much for coming to St Dominic's yesterday and talking to our students about

Materials Science at Oxford. Thanks also for an

excellent workshop which they obviously thoroughly enjoyed.

Teacher feedback

• Top rated lectures (23/24 in the Teaching Quality Assessment), given by lecturers who gained the top materials research rating in the UK • Two or more academic tutors at each college

• Degree courses are professionally accredited by the Engineering Council

Why Materials Science at Oxford?

• The Department of Materials teaches about 120 undergraduates over the four years of the course

• Approx 32 students taken in the first year

Note : Other providers that deliver courses in this subject area, but for whom there is insufficient data to calculate a ranking position, include Huddersfield, Manchester Met, Cambridge and Leeds.

Why Materials Science at Oxford?

The Guardian University League Tables 2013 Engineering: Materials and Minerals

Rating Name of

institution

Guardian

score /100

Satisfied with

course (%)

Satisfied with

teaching (%)

Student :

Staff Ratio

Spend per

Student (fte)

1 Oxford 100 91 91 10.2 10

2 Exeter 60.7 89 89 16.0 3

3 Imperial College 55.1 89 77 12.1 7

4 Sheffield 52.0 84 86 11.1 6

5 Birmingham 45.2 89 86 15.6 7

6 Loughborough 44.7 83 86 11.9 6

7 Bucks New Univ. 40.2 74 90 16.2 2

8 Queen Mary 31.7 92 85 19.1 3

9 Manchester 27.4 66 72 16.9 6

10 Swansea 26.3 82 77 14.9 3

11 London Met 22.5 59 71 10.3 3

A-level requirements: Three relevant A-Levels

Essential subjects

Recommended subjects

Helpful subjects

Materials Science

Maths and Physics

Chemistry Further Maths, Design & Technology

Course requirements - summary

Typical offer: ● A-levels: A*AA ● IB: 40 including core points (with at least 7,6,6 at

HL) ● Welsh Baccalaureate: Advanced Diploma with A*A

grades at A-level and Core Certificate at Level 3 ● or any other equivalent (see Admissions website)

Physics Aptitude Test

• This test is normally held on the first Wednesday in November and is ordinarily taken at your own school or college

• A single two hour test, covering both Physics and Mathematics.

• Calculators will not be permitted for this two hour test

• Concentrates on core knowledge common to all A-level syllabuses

• Sample papers available from admissions office or Physics website:

http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/apptests.htm

Success rates for Materials

Applicants Selected for Interview

Offered a Place

Direct PHYS21 Direct PHYS22

2011/2012 130 92 90 15 39

5 Yr Average 100 92 77 16 38

1 Applicants to Physics who also indicate an interest in being considered for Materials (PHYS2) 2The number in brackets shows how many of these interviewees were PHYS2 applicants

How to find out more

• Ask questions today!

• jayne.shaw@materials.ox.ac.uk

• http://www.materials.ox.ac.uk

• University Undergraduate Prospectus

• Subject Undergraduate Prospectuses

• College Prospectuses

www.ox.ac.uk/teacherseguide

• University website

• www.oxford.ac.uk

• www.admissions.ox.ac.uk

• Department Events

• Masterclasses

• Workshops

• Residential Courses

• Taster Days

• Work Experience

• University Open Days - book a place for a college visit.

Many colleges offer an overnight stay if you have to travel a long way.

• www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/opendays/open2.shtml

Any questions?

Jayne.shaw@materials.ox.ac.uk