2025 visits-

Science Park High School

On World Quantum Day (April 14, 2025), PCCM partnered with Science Outreach to  host 30 high school students from Science Park High School to learn about quantum research. The students toured the research labs of Prof. Sanfeng Wu and Prof. Ali Yazdani in the Physics Department, where they learned about the cutting-edge research carried out in those labs. During lunch, the students worked on a quantum activity kit involving light polarization, developed by the Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation. An impromptu sneak peak in the physics lecture hall where Physics department’s Lecture Demonstration Specialist, Omelan Stryzak, was setting up for class, led to a wonderfully spontaneous optics demonstration for the students. After lunch, the students visited the Chemistry Department, where graduate students from the Schoop research lab introduced their research on quantum materials and described their experiences in graduate school. Then Angie Miller, the chemistry department lecture demonstrator, showcased the wonders of quantum chemistry, and of course, there was at least one explosion to close the show! 

Special thanks to Prof Sanfeng Wu, Prof. Ali Yazdani, PCCM fellow Viliam Vano, graduate students Brianna Hoff and Mulan Yang, Omelan Stryzak, Angie Miller, for leading the tours and the interactive demonstrations. 

2024 visits-

Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science, visit

PMI/PCCM welcomed high school students from the Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science on October 21^st, 2024. The students had an in-depth tour of the Micro/Nanofabrication Center, led by MNFC director Dan Woodie, Assoc. director Dr. Zuzanna Lewicka, and Packaging Lab manager Bert Harrop. The students learned about the various instrumentation and processes in the nanofabrication facility. After, the students also had an opportunity to interact with PCCM postdoctoral fellow, Ipsita Das, who works in Sanfeng Wu’s research group and is MNFC user. Ipsita described her research to the students, and then the students talked about the nanotechnology projects that they are currently working on at PRISMS under the direction of their physics teacher, Dr. Taryl Kirk. It was a fun exchange!

AIM Academy, visit

On April 22, 2024, PCCM welcomed high school students and teachers from AIM Academy. The students attended short research talks led by PCCM postdoctoral fellow, Tanya Berry (Schoop lab), graduate student Sanjana Kamath (Davidson lab) and postdoctoral researcher Aimane Najmeddine (Moini lab). They learned about magnetic materials, hydrogels and 3D printing cementitious materials! The group also toured our Imaging and Analysis Center. 

Edison School District ACES program, visit

On April 12 2024, PCCM, in partnership with Science Outreach,  welcomed 27 middle school students from the Edison School district ACES program to explore engineering and materials science. The students visited the Micro/Nanofabrication Center, where they experienced being in a cleanroom and learned from Dr. Zuzanna Lewicka and Joe Palmer about microfabrication. Led by MAE graduate students from Prof. Aimy Wissa’s research group, the students built and tested their own gliders in the Princeton Robotics Lab. They also learned about surface tension, bubbles and high-speed imaging in Prof. Luc Deike’s research lab. The fun-filled visit concluded with an interactive demonstration about origami engineering with Dr. Tuo Zhao, where the students created their own origami while learning about folding and origami design applied to soft robotics.  

Special thanks to all the Princeton University graduate students, postdocs and staff for leading the interactive demonstrations, especially Megan Mazzatenta, Hannah Wiswell, Dr. Tuo Zhao and Dr. Zuzanna Lewicka.