WPSU Digital

Mission: Materials Science

Materials science is the study of stuff— what it’s made of, how it can be used, and even how it can be changed to create new kinds of stuff.

Your mission? To learn how materials science and engineering is at work all around you.

Materials scientists break down stuff to understand what it’s made of and how its pieces fit together. They build up stuff in different ways to find new properties. And they find ways to control stuff, to make it do what we want.

Episodes

Scientists in Action at Mallouk Labs 2

Christopher Reynolds and Andrew Glaid study the tiny molecules in a human cell that interact with the environment.

5/6/22 | 3m 37

Slippery Solids

How do layers help things slide? Our presenters pick surprising lubricants to race gummy bears down homemade ramps!

5/6/22 | 4m 39s

Scientists in Action at Cremer Lab

Christopher Reynolds and Andrew Glaid study the tiny molecules in a human cell that interact with the environment.

5/3/22 | 2m 52s

Building Boundaries

When two materials come together, curious things can happen where they meet.

5/3/22 | 5m 24s

Scientists in Action at NCCU Lab

Join Antonio Marston and Michael Cruse for a look into their lab as they blaze new trails in the world of super-thin 2D materials.

4/25/22 | 2m 42s

Designing 2D Materials

In this mission, you’ll use fun foods to build a model of a 2D material to explore some of the same features that scientists observe in microscopes.

4/25/22 | 5m 44s

Scientists in Action at Mallouk Lab

Ashley Wallace and Jarrett Dillenburger look to see how we can create new materials that harness the power of sunlight to produce sustainable energy.

4/14/22 | 2m 43s

Sunlight Oven

Investigate how the atoms and molecules in a material can turn sunlight into heat, and how color can make a difference.

4/14/22 | 4m 27s

Scientists in Action at Zarzar Lab

Scientists Lauren Zarzar and Seong Ik Cheon’s surprising discovery of structural color is now leading them into a whole new field of research.

4/7/22 | 3m 37s

Light and Bubbles

In this mission, you'll look at bubbles in a whole new light – because for some materials, their properties actually depend on the environment around them.

4/7/22 | 4m 24s