Chapter Events
April 2026
Rana Sedeeq, Graduate Career Consultant for the College of Science, was the guest speaker at the April 2026 Lunch and Learn event hosted by the ND Materials Research Society (MRS) student chapter. In her presentation, “Mastering the Graduate Internship Search,” Rana focused on strategies for job-seeking graduate students.
Highlighting differences between a resumé and CV, Rana helped students edit their resumes in real-time, emphasizing the key sections to include, the importance of ATS-compliance, and how to craft the most relevant, concise, and job-specific content. Rana also shared some useful resources for finding internship and micro-internship opportunities and how to connect with Notre Dame alumni on Irish Compass.
February 2026
The University of Notre Dame Materials Research Society (MRS) Chapter hosted a panel discussion in February featuring the two graduate students who took top honors (see videos) at the 2025 Shaheen Three-Minute Thesis (3MT®) Finals. The goal for 3MT participants is to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.
The February MRS event, "Mastering the 3MT," was moderated by Chapter VP Muhsin Abdul Karim and held the week before the 2026 3MT competition. 2025 winners Isaac Angera and Hirudini Fernando (both from Chemistry and Biochemistry), provided insight into their preparation for the competition, including narrowing their topic, outling the story, creating the one slide allowed in competition, and their practice strategy.
December 2025
Officers of the Notre Dame Materials Research Society (MRS) student chapter hosted "Exploring Pathways in Materials Science," an evening faculty panel and dinner with Notre Dame faculty members Jennifer Schaefer (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering) and Amy Hixon (Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences). The session was moderated by MRS chapter president Blessing Adjornor. Professor Schaefer and Professor Hixon shared their research journeys, insights into materials science, and advice for students exploring the field.
March 2025
The Notre Dame Materials Research Society student chapter hosted its second panel discussion and coffee social with Notre Dame faculty members Bryan Paulsen S.J., Matt Rosenberger, Gabriel Burks, and Hirotaka Sakaue. The students each shared their decision to pursue graduate studies and career plans. The faculty panelists provided insights into their own path through graduate school and to their academic careers.
January 2025
The Materials Research Society Notre Dame Chapter teamed up with the CBE Graduate Student Organization for an evening skate at Howard Park in South Bend.
December 2024
The University of Notre Dame Materials Research Society student chapter hosted a panel discussion and coffee social with Notre Dame faculty members. The faculty panelists provided insights into academic careers, and students were able to engage with questions and discussion. The format provided an engaging setting for the faculty members and graduate students. Thanks to Notre Dame faculty members Margaret Coad, Meenal Datta, Victoria Goodrich, Maria Holland, and Ryan Roeder for participating as panel members, and sharing with the students.
April 2024
University of Notre Dame Materials Science and Engineering students participated in events to sharpen their research communication skills. Students took part in a workshop covering the short “elevator pitch” -- a succinct and engaging way to introduce a research topic to anyone you encounter, particularly non-experts. The students practiced the new skills in an elevator pitch competition, where each student had one minute to introduce their research to the audience and judges from Notre Dame's Graduate Career Services. Congratulations to Irina Gushchina and Grayson Huldin (bottom left photos) for taking top honors in the competition. All the students did a great job in displaying the newly learned skills!
February 2024
The Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility hosted Materials Science and Engineering students for a tour and overview of their facilities and capabilities. This included a tour of the electron microscopy core to learn more about the instrumentation, how it can be used in their research, and how to work with the core facility. This facility is a great asset for materials science and engineering research at the University of Notre Dame. A big thank you to the NDIIF staff and faculty that helped with this visit.
