What is MWM?
The Materials World Modules (MWM) is an integrated STEM Program based on crosscutting topics from the interdisciplinary field of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Nanotechnology, established in 1993 with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and further developed under the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and via subsequent grants from NSF, the U.S. Department of Defense and industry.
Here are some unique strengths of the MWM program:
- Interacts and works effectively with schools, districts, and federal agencies
- Supported hundreds of schools, thousands of precollege teachers, and reached over 200,000 students around the world (with global reach to Mexico, Qatar, China, and Singapore)
- Recognized by The National Research Council for its efforts to bring engineering into the U.S. curriculum (Committee on K-12 Engineering Education Report, 2009)
- Delivers a research-driven integrated STEM program
- Brings to the classrooms an unique inquiry and engineering design pedagogy that meets NGSS and 21st century work skill-set
- Provides a cyber/real space interactive program with real-time assessment
- Introduces a new approach to 21st century learning and teaching by applying horizontal and vertical integration of STEM curricula
- Delivers latest research practices directly into middle school and high school classrooms
- Promotes community support to boost STEM literacy, and regional workforce and economic development
MWM has produced sixteen interdisciplinary modules designed for use in middle and high school science, technology, engineering, and math classrooms. The modules describe how materials and their properties can solve global problems and transform our everyday lives. Module topics cut across science disciplines and link them to engineering, math and technology applications.