Materials Science and Engineering

Are you interested in knowing more about the “stuff” around you and what “stuff” may be made of in the future? Materials Science is a multidisciplinary subject that draws on areas of chemistry, physics and engineering. The subject focuses on the exploration of material properties and the future of materials science, with a particular emphasis on additive manufacturing (3D printing).

Students can expect a “hands on” approach to learning ranging from the use of models and simple practical activities through to student designed experiments. A feature of the course is the opportunity for students to design their own product prototype using a user-friendly CAD program and have it 3D printed.

Through our links with Monash University School of Materials Science and Engineering, students will be exposed to traditional and cutting edge technologies in the field of materials science, and hear from researchers at the tops of their fields

Sodium alginate is a polymer which can be extracted from brown seaweed and kelps. It is one of the structural polymers that help to build the cell walls of these plants. It has some unusual properties and a wide variety of uses.

Here are some photos of students who were able to create their own at school.

Earlier in the semester, students were asked to produce a high quality advertisement based on a material of the future aimed towards multi-million dollar investors. Some examples below include graphene aerogel, metallic glass, metamaterials and transparent alumina.