NASA Field Trip

Every year, the Center organizes a NASA field trip. 40-50 high school students along with MACES undergraduate fellows will attend. During the 5-hr tour at NASA Ames, students will visit Research and Testing Facilities such as Wind Tunnel, Flight Simulator and 20-G Centrifuge (https://www.nasa.gov/ames-partnerships/opportunities/facilities). In addition to exposure to a variety of research activities through presentations by NASA researchers, students will have the rare opportunity to interact with scientists and engineers at NASA.

Center Mission

Our research, undergraduate, and graduate training and educational outreach programs are carefully designed to mirror NASA MIRO objectives. Our goals include:

  • Enhancing the scientific environment at UC Merced by recruiting and retaining high-caliber faculty and promising graduate students, as well as building facilities for materials science research facilities.

  • Impacting education at UC Merced and beyond by inspiring and training a new generation of STEM workers in a multidisciplinary materials research environment—particularly underrepresented and underprivileged students.

  • Driving research at UC Merced by promoting innovative and collaborative research in functional nanomaterials for energy and sensing for NASA missions and for needs here on Earth.