DayOne 2024

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MME) Summer Program

The Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Summer Program at Montana Tech has established itself as a transformative experience for high school juniors and seniors. In just two years, the program has enriched the educational journeys of 53 students while proving to be an incredibly effective recruiting tool for Montana Tech. Over 80% of rising seniors who attended the inaugural 2023 program enrolled at Montana Tech in Fall 2024, with five of them choosing Metallurgical and Materials Engineering as their major.

We expanded our reach in the 2024 program by welcoming 30 participants from across the U.S., including Montana, California, Colorado, and Illinois. The program featured a diverse mix of lectures, hands-on laboratory exercises, a tour of the Orphan Girl underground mine, and field trips to three local industries. A highlight of the week was the knife blade forging competition, a unique event that attracted local media attention, further enhancing the visibility of Montana Tech and the MME Department.

Our Summer Program is offered free of charge to enable access by high school students regardless of their financial background. This unique opportunity is made possible through the generous support of our donors and the dedication of faculty, students, and community members who volunteer their time and expertise. Their involvement allows us to deliver an engaging, hands-on experience that sparks passion for engineering and guides students toward future academic and professional success.

The cost of our Program in 2024 was nearly $30,000, and was made possible by the generous support of sponsors such as WAAIME, the Harmel A. "Bull" Dawson and Jane Sauerbier Dawson Endowment, and most significantly, by your contributions during last year’s DayOne event—particularly Mr. Mark Johnson’s matching gift. As we look forward to the 2025 program, scheduled for June 15-20, we invite you to join us in making a difference in the lives of future engineers by supporting this important initiative.

Now, we turn again to you, our esteemed alumni, to ask for your continued support in sustaining our vital outreach and recruitment efforts. We invite you to contribute generously to the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Outreach and Recruitment Fund during the DayOne event. 

Every donation you make will have a profound impact, especially as we have a unique opportunity: through a matching gift opportunity from alumni Mark Johnson ‘81, each gift to the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Outreach and Recruitment Fund will be matched 1:1 up to a total of $20,000.

Thank you for your support and please help us spread the word! Share this project on social media, by email and tell your friends!