NUANCE Hosts Morgan Park Academy Students for Project Week Tour

On March 20, 2026, the NUANCE Center at Northwestern University welcomed 24 students, teacher Michael Villanueva, and a chaperone from Morgan Park Academy as part of the school’s annual Project Week program.

Project Week is a school-wide initiative that provides students with immersive, off-campus educational experiences. As part of this program, the visiting group sought exposure to real-world research environments and advanced scientific instrumentation, making NUANCE an ideal destination.

During their visit, students were introduced to the Center’s facilities and learned how nanoscale science and engineering support a wide range of applications, from materials research to emerging technologies. A highlight of the tour was a live demonstration on the scanning electron microscope (SEM), conducted by EPIC Facility Manager, Tirzah Abbott. The demo gave students a close-up look at how researchers image and analyze materials and other samples.

In addition to their time at NUANCE, the group also participated in a second tour coordinated with the Aristilde Research Group. This experience allowed students to see how research questions are explored in an active laboratory setting, complementing the instrumentation-focused perspective offered at NUANCE.

Outreach visits like this play an important role in broadening access to STEM education and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers, and we are always happy to introduce students to our Center.