Steve and Tim talk with Dr. Joel McDonald, the Technical Director for Mobility products at Dow Chemical company. Joel was Steve's PhD student and an Applied Physics graduate at U. Michigan. He talks about how he first worked at Sandia National Labs before transitioning to Dow Corning, and later Dow. He explains how he was able to perform well in a chemical company even though his background was in optics. He has leveraged his Applied Physics and Materials skills learned in grad school to rise to a very high level at Dow and bring the right products to customers and help Dow make money. He talks at length about some of the very successful recycling efforts at Dow, specifically about how Dow has found a way to recover critical chemical components from polyurethane products in automobiles. Using their separation and chemical techniques they are able to create products from recycled vehicles that make mattresses or even seats for brand new luxury cars.

The YouTube video can be found here:
https://youtu.be/sHoE_wJ54-k

Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials

This episode is sponsored by the TMS Foundation and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).

Steve and Tim talk to Prof. Patrick Shamberger from the MS&E department at Texas A&M. He tells us the story of how he helped build a new materials department and create a new curriculum for their students. He also talks about his research in phase change materials and how they may be one of the keys to a sustainable energy future.

You can learn more about Patrick here:

https://engineering.tamu.edu/materials/profiles/pshamberger.html

You can learn more about Patrick’s research here:

https://phate.tamu.edu/

You can learn more about the Texas A&M Materials Science and Engineering department here:

https://engineering.tamu.edu/materials/index.html

Patrick also runs an REU program that is still recruiting!
https://engineering.tamu.edu/materials/undergraduate-research/index.html

Bio: Dr. Patrick Shamberger has a background in functional inorganic materials, including interests in phase transformations, crystal structure/property relationships, and thermodynamics. These have been applied to a range of problems on both natural (geological) and engineered systems. Currently, he is an associate professor with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, College Station. Prior to this, he served as a materials research engineer for the Air Force Research Lab in the Nanoelectronic Materials Branch (AFRL/RXAN) and Thermal Sciences and Materials Branch (AFRL/RXBT). His areas of focus at AFRL were in the areas of plasma-assisted deposition processes for high-mobility nanocrystalline oxide films, and in reducing the variability of oxide-based resistance switches. Previous efforts have included development of rapid, low-temperature thermal storage based on phase change, physisorption, and chemical dissociation processes. Patrick Shamberger received his Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Washington in 2010, an M.S. in Geology & Geophysics from the University of Hawaii in 2004, and a B.S.E. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Princeton University.

The YouTube video can be found here:
https://youtu.be/wcNyzSuRbiY

Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials

This episode is sponsored by the TMS Foundation and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).

Tim and Steve talked with Dr. Paul Krajewski, the Director of Materials and Manufacturing Research at the General Motors Global Research and Development Center, about sustainability at GM, his work, what he looks for in hiring, and much more. He even talks to us about his STEAM interests and the books he has written for kids.

BIO

Dr. Paul E. Krajewski is the Director of Materials and Manufacturing Research at the General Motors Global Research and Development Center. Paul also represents GM as the USCAR Council Member and as the Technical Director for HRL Laboratories. Dr. Krajewski is a global expert in vehicle lightweighting and lightweight materials and manufacturing. He received his Bachelors and Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan. He has led production implementations with aluminum, magnesium, and carbon fiber composites including body panels on the 2014 Corvette Stingray. Dr. Krajewski has 80 publications and has been awarded 81 US Patents. He has been recognized by Fortune Magazine (40 under 40) and MIT’s Technology Review (TR100) as a leading innovator, and is a Fellow of ASM International. He has appeared as a subject matter expert on the History Channel's Modern Marvels Aluminum Program and won numerous automotive industry innovation awards. He was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2020. Paul has also published three children’s STEM / STEAM books entitled “What's In Your Car”, " What's In Your Body", and "What's In Your Plane".

Book Website - https://periodictablebooks.com/

Link to GMR&D’s website https://www.gm.com/research

Link to job openings at GM https://search-careers.gm.com/en/jobs/

The YouTube video can be found here:
https://youtu.be/y75UqJXN1ds

Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials

This episode is sponsored by the TMS Foundation and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).