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2025 Crystal Summer SchoolÂ
2025 Crystal Summer SchoolÂ
for middle and high school students
June 30 -July 3, 2025, 9am-3pm
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
What is a crystal? How does volcano lava solidify? Is every snowflake unique? How does ice cream become creamy? How do handwarmers work? Why are fireworks colorful?
The 2025 Crystal Summer School will feature short lectures, educational games, lab tours, instrument demonstrations, STEM career panels and laboratory experiments on biomineralization, abiotic crystallization, nanotechnology, and nanoscale microscopy. During the four-day program, students will learn how crystals have shaped our environment and life on earth as we know it. Many living organisms build hard skeletal elements, such as bone or mother-of-pearl, for mechanical support or protection. Students will learn about marine life in the Atlantic Ocean by viewing corals, mollusk shells and plankton organisms under a Scanning Electron Microscope. Students will observe the structure of a leaf under an Atomic Force Microscope. Students will engage in age-appropriate hands-on lab activities, e.g., growing take-home geodes, magical crystal gardens and color-changing gemstones. Program participants will discuss how to pick a STEM major and plan their career in science and engineering.
The Crystal Summer School is funded by the National Science Foundation and entirely free for participants. Free lunch will be provided on one day of the program.
Topics covered in the program include:
Crystallization across disciplines (chemistry, physics, geology, engineering)
Biomineralization
Nanotechnology
Marine Life in South Florida
Nanoscale Microscopy
STEM Career Advising
Program Eligibility: Applicants must submit a one-page essay on why they would like to participate in the Crystal Summer School.
Dates/Times: July 8-12, 2024, 9am - 3pm
Location: Science and Engineering building (SE43), Boca Raton campus
Professor: Vivian Merk, Ph.D.
2023 Crystal Summer School
High school student learns how to prepare a TEM sample.
High school school students engage in hands-on Transmission Electron Microscopy demonstration.
Middle school students learn about the pink glow of a plasma sputter coater.
Middle school students learn about Scanning Electron Microscopy and stereoscopic imaging.
Middle school students make colorful lava lamps.
Middle school student grew magical crystal gardens during the one-week program.
Middle school learn how to reactivate crystallization-based hand warmers.
Middle school students engage in interactive Atomic Force Microscopy demonstration.
2024 Crystal Summer School
2024 Crystal Summer School participants and staff
Crystallization in hand warmer
Middle school student weigh chemicals for color-changing crystals
Do-it-yourself lava lamp
Middle school students learned how to make ultrathin sections with the ultramicrotome and glass knife maker.
Middle school students learn how to observe tiny objects under a Transmission Electron Microscope.
Middle school student extracted DNA from strawberries.
Middle school students learn how to operate an Atomic Force Microscope.
Middle school student grew magical crystal gardens during the one-week program.
Middle school students did unit cell origami.
Middle school students looked at fossils and rocks under polarized light microscope (FAU Department of Geosciences).
Middle school students were introduced to SEM and stereoscopic imaging.
Graduate students present inflatable model of an AFM probe.
Dr. Merk moderates STEM Career Panel featuring Office of Undergraduate Research staff, FAU alumnus and current students.
Middle school students learn about the pink glow of a plasma sputter coater.
Middle school students learn how to make ultrathin sections.
During the academic year, Dr. Merk is giving classroom lectures at A.D. Henderson/University High School (https://adhus.fau.edu/)/ Plus, she mentors high school students in her research lab and assists with science fair projects throughout the academic year and in summer.
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