100 episodes

"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.

It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast Punith Upadhya and David Yeh

    • Science
    • 5.0 • 25 Ratings

"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.

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

    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)

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

    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)

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

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

    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.

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

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

    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

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
25 Ratings

25 Ratings

Steven. T. ,

Easy Listening!

Good for anyone with innate curiosity about how things work or what stuff is made of. The hosts do a good job of maintaining the flow of conversation and keeping it accessible to people who don’t work in the field of materials science and engineering.

crystallukas04 ,

quality podcast!

A variety of topics are discussed diligently. Great podcast for those interested in MSE and scientific research in related spheres.

Nicholas Etrick ,

It’s a Material World - an Outstanding Materials Science

It’s a Material World is an outstanding podcast in the Materials Science

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