The Advanced Centre for Materials Science (ACMS) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, in collaboration with Material Advantage, a student technical chapter in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), organized the four-day "Materials Camp 2026." The event was co-hosted with the Materials Society, Indian Institute of Metals (IIM) Kanpur Chapter, Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) Kanpur Chapter, and ASM International India Chapter.
Participation and Inauguration
Materials Camp 2026 saw the participation of 43 students and nine teachers from schools in Jhansi and Kanpur. Participating schools included Mahatma Hansraj Modern School Jhansi, and from Kanpur: Jai Narayan Vidya Mandir, Allen House Public School, Kendriya Vidyalaya IIT Kanpur, Sheiling House School, Methodist High School, Jugal Devi Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Dr Virendra Swaroop Public School, and DPS Kalyanpur.
During the inaugural ceremony, Prof. Kantesh Balani, Head of Materials Science and Engineering and Chair of the INAE Kanpur Chapter, welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of materials in human civilization. Prof. Anish Upadhyaya, Head of ACMS, emphasized exploring new application avenues through materials engineering. Dr. Navin Manjooran, President of ASM International, joined online to inaugurate the event, noting ASM International as the world's largest materials society.
Insights from Past Participants
Om Upadhyaya, a B.Tech. student at IIT Kanpur and a former participant of Materials Camp, shared personal insights and his "Experience of the Past Materials Camp." The technical session began with an engaging talk on the "Classification of Materials" by Prof. Niraj Chawake.
Key Talks and Lab Sessions
Prof. Kantesh Balani delivered a talk on the "Fascinating World of Materials," showcasing materials for re-entry space vehicles, developing superhydrophobic surfaces for self-cleaning, and the changing colors observed in peacock feathers. Afternoon lab sessions were conducted on sample preparation and microscopy of various samples in the physical metallurgy laboratory at IIT Kanpur, where students learned to polish samples and observe their microstructures under an optical microscope.
The second day of Materials Camp 2026 featured an insightful talk by Prof. Anish Upadhyaya on "Materials Failure: Learning," where he explained various examples from bulletproof armor to the design of nature-inspired cutting tools, among others, at ACMS.
The third day included talks from Prof. Shobit Omar on "Materials for Li-ion Batteries," Prof. Vivek Verma on "Materials for Wound Healing," and Prof. Shikhar Misra on "AI/ML in Materials Science."
The camp provided a unique opportunity for school students to explore the fascinating world of materials science through interactive sessions and hands-on experiments.
