Named after William Hunt Eisenman, the first managing director of ASM International, the Eisenman Materials Camp for students is the largest and most elaborate student camp sponsored by the ASM Materials Education Foundation each year. At this weeklong camp during the summer break, high school students from the 11th and 12th grades work in groups to determine the root cause of a failure of an object or series of objects. These objects are varied and may include household tools, industrial components, or evidence from transportation accidents. Under the supervision of volunteer mentors from industry, academia, and government laboratories, the students employ techniques including metallography, electron microscopy, mechanical testing, and heat treating. After finding the root cause of a failure, they develop recommendations to correct the problem. Students professionally present these results to the leaders of ASM International, even publishing results in peer-reviewed journals.

During the camp, students perform hands-on experiments at the headquarters of ASM International. Camp begins with pewter die casting and materials-focused post-mortem examination of household appliances and culminates with students creating keepsakes for family and friends by sand casting tin and blacksmithing wrought iron. These physical experiences are interspersed with the weeklong failure projects, providing immediate, concrete associations of materials science concepts with tangible creations.

Hundreds of students have attended the materials camp in the last 23 years, producing numerous leaders in the materials industry. These include tenure-track professors, industry executives, and government researchers. Many camp graduates return to volunteer as mentors, perpetuating the enthusiasm and lifelong learning that the experience bestows. Further, these camps have been emulated in France and India. This presentation will demonstrate how materials camps are models for rapidly teaching material science to young students and cultivating candidates for university curricula in the discipline.