It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast

Punith Upadhya and David Yeh
  • 5.0 (25)
  • CHEMISTRY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast

"It's a Material World" is a podcast that uncovers why materials science will change the world. We explore how materials are engineered to make an impact all around you and how they will play an even bigger role in your future. We also invite experts onto the show to share high-level insights on how MSE can make a difference in nearly any industry. The field of materials science and engineering is new and exciting, so hop on board now and you won't get left behind. For additional updates, soundbites, and bloopers, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @itsamaterialworldpodcast. Feel free to connect with Tom Miller and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn as well! We'd love to chat with you to discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, what you'd like to see from our podcast, and how to get more involved in the field of materials science and engineering.

  1. 12/25/2023

    126: Racquet Sports Equipment and Materials Testing (ft. Koki Asahina)

    Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2R3o5UMJ0SI When you pick up a racquet at the tennis court, have you ever thought: “this feels great!” Or, “this doesn’t feel so great”? There’s a science to that! Sports equipment companies rely on feedback from amateur players, professionals, customers, and their employees to design better products by translating subjective data into materials engineering problems. This lets them improve on pre-existing designs on sports gear. We are joined by Koki Asahina, an MSE student from Georgia Tech who is currently a racket sports engineering intern at Wilson Sporting Goods Company, who tells us all about how the “feel” is crucial to the design and improvement of sports equipment, and the large role played by materials science in this.   🔹How feedback from players and users are used to improve racquet design 🔹How sports equipment are tested using industry-standard experiments 🔹Why simulations are useful to understand the relationship between material properties and their functions 🔹Why we need a worldwide standard of material specifications 🔹And much more!    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next!    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next!    Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.   #SportsScience #Tennis #Materials  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps:  Teaser (0:00 – 0:41) Intro, life updates, and episode highlights (0:41 – 4:11) Introducing Koki Asahina (4:11 – 4:57) Link between physiology and sports equipment (4:57 - 7:25) Work on Parkinson's rehabilitation (7:25 - 12:16) Developing a simulated tester at Wilson R&D (12:16 - 14:48) Importance of ‘feel’ (14:48 - 17:11) Improving racquets using feedback (17:11 - 25:50) Simulations in racquet design (25:50 - 31:43) Need for standardization for materials testing (31:43 - 36:18) Future of materials engineering in sports equipment (36:18 - 38:41) Conclusion (38:41 – 39:00) MSE Academy (39:00 – 40:04)

    39 min

  2. 11/20/2023

    125: Driving Nuclear Energy: Data-Driven Materials Science (ft. David Pham)

    A resume mix-up landed a material scientist into a data scientist role. This happy accident led him to discover how data drives the design and operation of materials and experiments.   At its core, nuclear energy is all about generating electricity by converting water to steam to drive a turbine - very, very powerfully. But there’s a ton of data management that goes into its successful operation.   Our guest this week is David Pham, a senior materials engineer at TerraPower, who talks about his current projects Natrium, a Gen IV nuclear reactor, and ARMI, their in-house materials database solution. Join us as we also discuss:   🔹How data from materials, mechanical properties, chemical operations dictates the experiments and models in nuclear processes. 🔹 The importance of rigorous record keeping and data management in a sensitive field like nuclear energy. 🔹 The regulatory and auditing challenges in the nuclear industry, and how it departs from traditional sectors like oil and gas. 🔹 How data science will become more and more important for nuclear and material (and any kind of) engineers in the future. 🔹 And much more!    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next!    Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.   #NuclearPower #DataScience #Materials  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps:  Teaser (0:00 – 0:48) Intro, life updates, and episode highlights (0:48 – 5:18) Introducing David Pham (5:18 – 5:55) Dispelling myths about nuclear energy (5:55 - 7:29) Data management at TerraPower (7:29 - 8:32) Regulations in the nuclear energy sector (8:32 - 10:06) How data dictates design and operations (10:06 - 12:16) Auditing the data and calculations (12:16 - 15:41) Project Natrium and materials selection (15:41 - 24:10) Importance of data science for materials engineers (24:10 - 28:05) Data sources and quality management (28:05 - 41:18) Advice to data scientists and aspiring engineers (41:10 - 52:05) Conclusion (52:05 – 52:27) MSE Academy (52:27 – 53:33)

    52 min

  3. 11/13/2023

    124: Shape Memory Alloys: Flexing for Safer Innovation (ft. Dr. Habib Alavi)

    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next!    Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.

    38 min

  4. 11/06/2023

    123: From Biology & Industrial Design to MSE: Seamlessly Shifting Roles (ft. Aaron Nesser)

    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.

    40 min

  5. 10/30/2023

    122: Failure Analysis as a Key Metallurgical Skill (ft. Nirbhay Tandel)

    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps:  -       Teaser (0:00 – 0:53) -       Intro, life updates, and episode highlights (0:53 – 7:12) -       Introducing Niks Tandel (7:12 – 8:03) -       The importance of metallurgy (8:03 – 9:48) -       Typical day of a metallurgist & working from home (9:48 – 14:20) -       The niche field of spring wiring (14:20 – 22:07) -       Tempering and heat treatments (22:07 – 25:45) -       The importance of failure analysis (25:45 – 28:54) -       Increasing revenue by 100% in 1 year (28:54 – 31:45) -       Innovations in metallurgy within 10 years (31:45 – 33:55) -       Advice for MSE’s to excel in failure analysis (33:55 – 36:37) -       Conclusion (36:37 – 37:37) -       MSE Academy (37:37 – 38:42)

    36 min

  6. 10/09/2023

    121: Evolution of Organic Electronics & Electronic Packaging (ft. Dr. Benedict San Jose)

    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.

    37 min

  7. 09/25/2023

    120: Metal Additive Manufacturing: Ultrasonic Energy vs Heat Energy (ft. Dr. Anagh Deshpande)

    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps:   -       Teaser (0:00 – 0:57) -       Intro, travel, and episode highlights (0:57 – 4:53) -       Introducing Dr. Anagh Deshpande (4:53 – 5:32) -       Metal vs. plastic additive manufacturing (5:32 – 9:08) -       Availability of metal 3D printers (9:08 – 12:42) -       Ultrasonic vs. lasers for melting metal (12:42 – 15:27) -       Anagh’s story (15:27 – 18:36) -       Challenged in large-scale metal AM (18:36 – 20:37) -       Materials that work with metal AM (20:37 – 24:54) -       Speed of printing vs. resolution (24:54 – 29:39) -       Pitching ideas to investors (29:39 – 31:51) -       To use or not to use powder (31:51 – 33:37) -       Advice: getting involved in metal AM (33:37 – 35:21) -       Conclusion (35:21 – 36:01) -       MSE Academy (36:01 – 37:07)

    36 min

  8. 09/18/2023

    119: Disruption vs. Incrementalization in the Energy Transition (ft. Dr. Reed Eisenhart)

    What does it take to completely revolutionize the global energy infrastructure?    This is the Energy Transition.    We’ve done it before.    Once the value of gasoline was discovered and understood, gasoline production increased by orders of magnitude within just a few decades. How does this compare with the need to reach net-zero carbon emissions as soon as 2050? Are solar panels, batteries, and biofuels capable of such a meteoric rise?    In today’s episode, we welcome Dr. Reed Eisenhart, an Independent Consultant for Energy Transition Technologies. With him, we discuss all things Energy Transition, specifically:    🔹 What is the Energy Transition and how MSE’s can fill key roles in it.  🔹 The differences between innovating iteratively by improving existing technology (incrementalization) and creating something new (disruption).  🔹 How to determine if a new technology or invention is worth pursuing.  🔹 Key technical differences between sodium ion and lithium ion batteries.  🔹 And much more!    We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2   Join our Discord community! You can meet other passionate materials scientists and engineers from around the world, discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, share materials-related memes, and get career advice from experts in the field.  https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN   Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop   For shorter segments and full video podcasts, subscribe to our channel on YouTube. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Feel free to message us on our social media platforms if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes, or email us directly at itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A  https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/  http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/  https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod    Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated. Watch the full episode here:https://youtu.be/0fySE54PGB8   #EnergyTransition #Innovation #NetZero    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps:  -       Teaser (0:00 – 0:51) -       Intro, travel, and episode highlights (0:51 – 4:32) -       Introducing Dr. Reed Eisenhart (4:32 – 5:27) -       Reed’s work: energy, batteries, and more (5:27 – 7:34) -       Moving from industry to consulting (7:34 – 11:39) -       What is the Energy Transition (11:39 – 22:09) -       Improving current tech or making something new (22:09 – 31:31) -       Examples of disruption vs. incrementalization (31:31 – 36:59) -       Answering the question “which technology is worth pursuing?” (36:59 – 41:13) -       Important upcoming MSE technologies (41:13 – 44:40) -       Sodium ion batteries vs. lithium ion batteries (44:40 – 50:03) -       Advice: getting involved in the energy transition (50:03 – 54:51) -       Conclusion (54:51 – 55:12) -       MSE Academy (55:12 – 56:17)

    53 min
See All (100)

5
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

"It's a Material World" is a podcast that uncovers why materials science will change the world. We explore how materials are engineered to make an impact all around you and how they will play an even bigger role in your future. We also invite experts onto the show to share high-level insights on how MSE can make a difference in nearly any industry. The field of materials science and engineering is new and exciting, so hop on board now and you won't get left behind. For additional updates, soundbites, and bloopers, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @itsamaterialworldpodcast. Feel free to connect with Tom Miller and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn as well! We'd love to chat with you to discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, what you'd like to see from our podcast, and how to get more involved in the field of materials science and engineering.

Information

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada