MICRO Summit Convenes Undergraduates for Materials Science Research, Career Exploration

Led by Northwestern Engineering’s Cécile Chazot, the Materials Initiative for Comprehensive Research Opportunity (MICRO) allows undergraduates from universities without materials science programs or limited research facilities to conduct online research with a lab at Northwestern or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during the school year.

On April 4-6, MICRO hosted its annual summit in Evanston, an event that included 20-min research talks from each of the 11 students presenting their work. The weekend’s activities also included a tour of Professor Vinayak Dravid’s Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization (NUANCE) Center and sessions discussing graduate school in materials science and the jobs available in the field after earning a PhD.

“This annual event is extremely impactful for the students who can complement the knowledge and research experience they learn throughout the academic year with an inspiring in-person experience,” Chazot said. “The goal is to really inspire the students to pursue a career and graduate degree in materials science and engineering.”

 Chazot is the Julia Weertman Professor in Materials Science and Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering. Chazot joined the Northwestern Engineering faculty in 2023 and leads Northwestern’s Sustainable Polymer Innovation Laboratory (SPIn lab) that seeks to develop sustainable manufacturing and recycling of polymers and composites. 

MICRO, meanwhile, hopes to develop future materials scientists, a theme reinforced in the summit’s programming.

The event panel discussions featured distinguished PhD alumni from Northwestern’s materials science department and industry professionals, including Daniel Carvajal (PhD ’10) from 3M, and Stuart Miller of the Chicagoland-based Materials Discovery Research Institute of UL Research Institutes.

They were joined by assistant professor of instruction Chamille Lescott (PhD '22), Elmhurst University's Nathan Bradshaw (PhD '23), and Medline's Sonal Rangnekar (PhD '23), who shared their diverse professional journeys during the “Careers in MSE” panel. The discussion provided students with an opportunity to network and explore the wide range of career paths available in materials science and engineering.

In addition, a student panel highlighted graduate school experiences, featuring MICRO alumni Griheydi Garcia Bonilla (Northwestern Engineering PhD student) and Jon-Edward Stokes (University of Chicago PhD student), alongside current Northwestern materials science PhD students Jessica Chiu, Sofia Aman, and Abhiram Devata. This session offered attendees an inside look at graduate life and the transition from undergraduate to advanced studies in materials science.

Supported by the 3M STEM and Skilled Trades program, MICRO is a collaboration between the materials science and engineering departments at Northwestern and MIT.

Chazot said one reason the MICRO program continues to thrive is due to the creativity and dedication of faculty and research teams who have developed impactful, student-centered projects — even in virtual formats. With strong administrative backing from the materials science department and the support of graduate student volunteers, including MICRO organizer and PhD student Zek Kelly, the program offered a valuable experience where participants not only engage in research remotely but also were able to visit their host labs and the state-of-the-art NUANCE facilities.

“The support from Northwestern Engineering is invaluable in both the summit and the MICRO program,” Chazot said.