Materials departments at universities across the UK, in conjunction with the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM³), will be opening their doors to post-16 students this autumn.

They are inviting school groups to visit and gain first hand experience of materials research and analysis, exploring nanoscale materials, biomaterials, superconductors, materials for fuel cells and more. Students will be able to view materials from a macro to an atomic scale using optical, electron, atomic and x-ray microscopes, and analyse metals, polymers, ceramics and composites.

The events are free of charge and are allocated on a first come, first served basis. To see the list of participating universities, available dates and to book a place, visit the IOM³ website.