Tim and Steve interview Dr. Tricia Nguyen about her career in textiles that evolved from her degrees in Materials Science & Engineering. She currently owns and operates a historical embroidery company, Thistle Threads: https://thistle-threads.myshopify.com/pages/about-us . If you're interested in learning more, you can even take classes in historical needlework projects at her online university! https://thistle-threads.thinkific.com/ . We also discuss the implications of her research for STEM education and how we can engage more women in STEM careers.
The YouTube video can be found here:
https://youtu.be/BkTVetZBhv0
Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Steve and Tim talked with Professor Ivan Baiges from University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez about the new undergraduate program he and his team developed called Sustainability Engineering. He described the need for such a program, especially in Puerto Rico, as well as how he went about assembling a team of faculty to do the hard work of creating new courses, convincing administrators, and making it happen. He suggested several books that inspired him, and he recommends them to all interested in Sustainability Engineering.
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/DB3lG_fE9L0
Here is his reading list:
On the subject of “Emergy or Embodied Energy
Environment, Power, and Society for the Twenty-First Century: The Hierarchy of Energy Illustrated Edition; by Howard Odum (Author)ISBN-10 : 9780231128872
Emergy or EMbodied/EMbedded energy is based on the concept that the value of something (ecosystem, products/materials, services, built environment, etc.) is based on the amount of resources/energy that goes into creating that something, instead of how much one is willing to pay for it. This is an excellent method to understand the actual value of any given material solution.
On the subject of Economics in a different light:
Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E. F. Schumacher (Author)
Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist by Kate Raworth (Author)
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution by Paul Hawken , Amory Lovins, L. Hunter Lovins (you can download the whole book in pdf format at https://www.natcap.org/ )
On circular design and the circular economy:
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability--Designing for Abundance, by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
Circular Economy, Ellen MacArthur Foundation https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
You can find more about Ivan at this link: www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-baiges-valentin-023106223; email ivan.baiges@upr.edu
You can find more about the U. Puerto Rico Mayaguez Sustainability Engineering here: https://www.uprm.edu/isos/en/ (ISOS stands for Ingenieria de Sostenibilidad or Sustainability Engineering)
You can find more about the U. Puerto Rico Mayaguez here: https://www.uprm.edu
Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Professor David Srolovitz has made many important contributions to materials science and engineering during his career. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and will be receiving the Hume-Rothery award at TMS next year. He was visiting Michigan to present the Larry Van Vlack lecture and we were honored by his presence. Dave and Steve were grad students together at U. PA many years ago. Liz Holm, the UM Materials Science and Engineering chair was Dave's second PhD student when Dave was a professor at UM. Unfortunately, Dave's schedule was tight and the only time we were able to sit down with him was during Tim's class. So Liz graciously sat if for Tim and was this week's guest host. It was great to talk to Dave and Liz about his career, teaching, research, AI, and other topics. We even found out where Dave gets his best ideas! Dave is currently the Dean of Engineering at Hong Kong University.
You can find the YouTube version here:
https://youtu.be/fUpfMayle3I
Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Steve and Tim talked with Professor John Allison about Integrated Computational Manufacturing Engineering (ICME) and his PRISMS center. John talked about how creating the Virtual Aluminum Casting program at Ford led to the ability to predict properties of the as cast aluminum engine blocks to the point where they were perfect the first time. This vastly improved the time to develop new products for Ford and helped significantly to the development of lighter weight vehicles. John also talked about his current role in helping improve the recycling of aluminum waste for large scale castings using ICME. John also talks about his new PRISMS center, Magnesium alloys, the importance of team dynamics in accomplishing his work, and how he got into materials science and engineering.
You can learn more about the PRISMS center here:
https://prisms-center.org/#/home
You can find the YouTube version here:
https://youtu.be/pF0YSMdrNBA
Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Tim and Steve talked with Lily Turaski from Georgia Tech at the NAMES conference in August, 2025. Today's episode focuses on engineering education research. We discussed the importance of education research and how it applies to actually teaching, what are the barriers to adoption of research-based teaching strategies, and important problems in education research. We also discussed some preliminary results from Lily's ongoing research in materials education.
You can find the YouTube version here:
https://youtu.be/MzkBTuO2sJ0
Check out the video version to see the visual presentation of research results!
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Steve and Tim caught up with Professor Alison Polasik at the 2025 NAMES meeting in Atlanta. We talked about what it is like to teach at a small school, Campbell University, compared to her previous position at Ohio State. We also talked about her research and what she is currently interested in. She has recently been teaching classes that are integrated with small laboratory experiences right in the same room
You can find the YouTube version here:
https://youtu.be/iDSLFpaSLdE?si=_--jufs-qmIC5KA7
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Steve and Tim talk about reinventing our Materials curriculum based on what we have learned in the past year. AI has had a profound effect on the job market in areas like computer science. Is the Materials job market going to have a similar downturn? What can we do about it?
You can find the YouTube version here:
https://youtu.be/NPqvRkQOK_k
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Tim and Steve talk with 4 participants in the Summer 2025 ASM Teacher's Camp in Ann Arbor. You can learn more about the camps at
https://www.asmfoundation.org/teachers/materials-camps/year-one/
Over 12000 teachers have participated in ASM camps to date - it's a leading program in bringing materials science to the K-12 space.
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/43_rBADH4f8
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Steve and Tim talked with Prof. Ron Kander at the NAMES meeting in Atlanta last month. Ron talked about his experiences creating new engineering programs, first at James Madison University and later at Philadelphia University which has now become Thomas Jefferson University. He took the Olin model one step further by developing a design first approach that included Engineering, Design, and Business. You can learn more about the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering & Commerce (Named for Maurice Kanbar - not Ron Kander) here:
Ron has recently retired but his information is still up on the Thomas Jefferson University website:
You can also learn about Ron and his research at this page:
https://ronkander.academia.edu/
The YouTube video of the podcast can be found here:
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Steve and Tim talk with Dr. Christian Casper about how he teaches technical communication to students at the University of Michigan, in particular how we've integrated more advanced teaching in visual and written communication in materials lab classes.. You can learn more about the Program in Technical Communication at https://techcom.engin.umich.edu/
You can find the YouTube version here:
https://youtu.be/4ja7CxNDvQY
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Tim and Steve talk about what is coming up in Season 3 of Undercooled. We will publish our first episode of season 3 on August 31st!
You can find the YouTube version of this trailer here:
https://youtu.be/bKKluuGuCpo
This episode is sponsored by the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Tim talks with Kaitlin Tyler this week at the ASEE meeting in Montreal. Kaitlin works for ANSYS as an Education Content Developer. We discuss career trajectories in MSE and the importance of networking and attending conferences. We also tell some stories about the North American Materials Education Symposium (NAMES) and why everyone should attend it. It's not too late to register for NAMES 2025!
You can learn more about Kaitlin here:
https://www.ansys.com/authors/kaitlin-tyler
Some of Kaitlin's educational content with Ansys is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtt6-ZgUFmMK4aApOU0A85CvaJ_udGDCe
General Ansys link for educators:
www.ansys.com/education-resources
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/oSlnrw9ASYg
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Site for all of the international Materials Education Symposia:
www.materialseducation.com
Steve and Tim talk with Bill Callister, the author of the best selling introduction to materials science and engineering text book. Bill tells us how he got into materials and how he ended up writing a book that is now in its 10 edition!
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/UiUWBENdRT8
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Steve and Tim talked with Professor Diran Apelian from UC Irvine. Diran talks about his journey to Materials Science and Engineering through his days at Drexel, MIT, Bethlehem Steel, back to Drexel, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, to Irvine. He explains his foray into project based learning and now his new course on Professional Skills that he is teaching at Irvine.
You can find more about Diran here:
https://engineering.uci.edu/users/diran-apelian
https://www.nae.edu/19579/165897/20676/166043/20685/55293/148200/148206/Dr-Diran-Apelian
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/7vtXdbdASl0
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Steve and Tim talk with Prof. Robert Talbert from Grand Valley State University. Robert is a math professor and has been very influential in inverted or flipped teaching and alternative grading in the past 20 years. Recently, he and a colleague, William Clarke, also a math professor at Grand Valley State University, wrote a book called "Grading for Growth". Most of the podcast is focussed on the ideas, implementation, and impact of the book. Robert also let us know that he is in the process of publishing a second edition of this flipped teaching book that should be available soon.
Robert has a very comprehensive document which links to many resources that he has developed over the years. Here is that link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1is0DKmhYMAUrCWN73_1U_GLMj_BXjyAAFZiY17eUq4I/edit?usp=sharing
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/xtkWqqjGqco
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Tim and Steve talk with 4 of the Materials Science and Engineering undergraduate students who got to fly to Las Vegas to attend the TMS annual meeting in April 2025. They talked about their experiences and the impact that it had on their education and outlook for the future.
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/BxAqQOSZfuE
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Steve ran into Christina Haden at the 2025 ABET symposium in San Diego two weeks ago. Christina has developed a multi step method of assessing student outcomes using performance indicators that span a period of time across an entire curriculum to gain knowledge of learning growth. She is experimenting with longer times and using her methods to perform longitudinal studies of learning gains. She also talked about of her more exciting projects that is focussed on a new first year in engineering experience that the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering is piloting next term.
You can learn more about Christina here:
https://engineering.lehigh.edu/faculty/christina-viau-haden
Christina’s department website is here:
https://engineering.lehigh.edu/meche
You can find the YouTube video here:
https://youtu.be/fR1oysirCzs
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Steve and Tim ran into Taylor Sparks at the TMS meeting and decided to do a podcast. Taylor is a professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at U. Utah. He is also the host of the long running materials science podcast called "Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast".
You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts at the link below or you can just search for it on any podcast platform:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/materialism-a-materials-science-podcast/id1448663986
You can find out more about Taylor and his research here:
https://profiles.faculty.utah.edu/u0203991
or here:
https://my.eng.utah.edu/~sparks/group.html
You can also find out about many of his excellent educational resources and courses on his YouTube Channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/ @TaylorSparks
You can find the YouTube video of the podcast here:
https://youtu.be/yJJcskRX7cs
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Tim and Steve were at the TMS meeting in Las Vegas and ran into Professor Jerry Floro from the Materials Science and Engineering Department at the University of Virginia. We talk about his efforts to bring active learning into his classes, his work in helping start an undergraduate program at UVa, and lots of other fun things. You can learn more about Jerry and the MS&E department at UVa at the links below:
About Jerry:
https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/jerrold-floro
About the MS&E department at UVa:
https://engineering.virginia.edu/department/materials-science-and-engineering
You can find the YouTube video of the podcast here:
https://youtu.be/Wy4FhPOK3SI
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu
Steve and Tim were walking through the TMS Annual Meeting Exhibit hall in Las Vegas and stopped to talk to Dr. Adam Hope at the Thermo-Calc booth. Adam is a member of the TMS education committee. He told us how he became a Materials Scientist and what a materials student might want to do if they wanted to get a job at Thermo-Calc.
You can learn more about Thermo-Calc here:
https://thermocalc.com
You can find the YouTube video of the podcast here:
https://youtu.be/yi6PymT_vK4
This episode is sponsored by the North American Materials Education Symposium, a gift from Prof. Ron Gibala, and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).
Please attend the North American Materials Education Symposium next summer, August 5th - 6th at Georgia Tech. Workshops on August 4th:
https://www.names25.mse.gatech.edu