On our sister site TEAMM AM News (focused on additive manufacturing and materials), we introduced a section called the Editor’s Corner, to share a monthly list of curated articles, videos, and social feeds that we discovered as we worked on the website and met with our partners. We want to share the same approach here on the Online Instructional Resources for Material Science Technology Education (MatEdU).
We are honored to report a small (big) mention on the National Science Foundation (NSF) Crosscutting Activities in Materials Research (XC) page. The site mentions both the National Resource Center for Materials Education, focusing on community college-level education and the M-STEM (Materials in STEM) annual workshop archives. The recognition is appreciated.
- National Resource Center for Materials Education, focusing on community college-level education (NSF redirects you to the main MatEdU home page.)
- Materials/presentations from a series of annual workshops for educators (“M-STEM: Materials in STEM”) (NSF redirects you to the M-STEM presentation archives.)
NSF Science Nation
Speaking of NSF, they have a YouTube channel section or series called Science Nation, where they profile a variety of materials science advances (as you know, MatSci is in everything, but the channel is not entirely focused on materials…). This 2021 video on Quantum Crystals highlights how “Josh Goldberger and his team at the Ohio University have created a crystal that may one day re-write the book on how electronics operate,” according to the YouTube summary.
The summary also explains a bit more about the research: “Cornell University will lead a Materials Innovation Platform, a new NSF mid-scale instrumentation program supported in the Division of Materials Research (PARADIM). The platform seeks to advance fundamental understanding of oxide-based hetero-interfaces with a range of two-dimensional (2D) material systems including oxides, chalcogenides and graphene through transformational research and mid-scale investments in instrumentation for bulk and thin film crystal growth and characterization. The research in this episode was supported by grant: #1539918.
Clean Drinking Water from Air
This one sounds like an idea out of Star Trek – water from air. But if you follow this link, you will find out there’s been some innovative materials science and micro nano sensor work making it possible to extract water from air with solar powered hydropanels.
According to Forbes, “An Arizona company, SOURCE, and its founder, Cody Friesen, a materials scientist and associate professor at Arizona State University, spent nearly seven years developing the Source Hydropanel… Pure water is mineralized with magnesium and calcium to achieve an ideal taste profile. Finally, sensors in each hydropanel monitor and optimize the water to maintain quality. The hydropanels produce an average of 3-5 liters of clean drinking water per day (or up to 1.3 gallons).” This post was originally shared on the Micro Nano Education news page.
Two more clean energy mentions: One of our partners and collaborators, the Joint Center for Deployment and Research in Earth Abundant Materials (JCDREAM), is on the right track with its goal to find and explore existing alternatives and future alternatives with “earth-abundant materials.” More and more clean energy experts and analysts are calling attention to challenges ahead. Twitter account Soli shared this: “Some individual minerals will see particularly sharp jumps. The World Bank says, “graphite and lithium demand are so high that current production would need to ramp up by nearly 500% by 2050 under a [2 degree scenario] just to meet demand.”). JCDREAM is working hard to find alternatives.
Jobs, Research, Internships
Deadline approaching for Research Associate at the Louisiana State University Audubon Sugar Institute on February 2, 2022: “We are hiring! Come work with me at the Audubon Sugar Institute @LSUAgCenter to research exciting issues about LA sugarcane. If you are interested in sensors, data science, sustainability and renewable materials, please apply…”
If you know of upcoming research opportunities, internships, or jobs for two year and four year students, please send them to us. We cannot include all of them, but a big part of our mission is to help students find meaningful career opportunities.
Related to work, in a recent national presentation, Principal Investigator Mel Cossette shared how manufacturing is a big part of the future of work.
Materials Science on Twitter
The Society of Women Engineers has a wide range of excellent resources and attention-getting blog posts. A recent share on Twitter led us to this post from the SWE: Check out the interviews below with Materials Science and Engineering students Katherine and Andrea to learn more about their experiences and how you can #BeThatEngineer!
The SWE article also pointed us to this fascinating, in-depth piece on the James Webb telescope and the work of Sandra Irish. If you are not following the NASA Webb account on Twitter, start now.
Until next month,
