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Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast podcast artwork
Science

Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast

by Taylor Sparks and Andrew Falkowski
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Latest episodes

  • Aluminum

    September 28, 2026 · 44 min

    Aluminum may seem like a common metal today, but did you know it was once considered on par with silver? Taylor and Andrew sit down with Marat Latypov, a professor at the University of Arizona, to explore how aluminum went from a precious…

  • Thermal Protection Systems

    August 7, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

    We have all seen the heat of atmospheric reentry depicted a thousand times in movies and TV shows, but how do we actually protect spacecraft from that danger? Taylor and Andrew sit down with Nate Olson, an aerospace engineer at NASA's…

  • Closing the Discovery Loop with Radical AI

    June 30, 2026 · 44 min

    What if a materials lab on Earth could screen a hundred alloys a day with little input from the scientist? Taylor and Andrew sit down with Joseph Krause, CEO and co-founder of Radical AI, to dig into what it takes to build a self-driving…

  • The Molecular Universe with SES AI

    May 18, 2026 · 44 min

    What if you could know which batteries are worth building before you actually build them? Taylor and Andrew sit down with Dr. Qichao Hu, founder of SES AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping battery discovery and his…

  • Textiles in Space

    May 4, 2026 · 38 min

    The fanciest suit isn't on the runway, it's in orbit. In this follow-up episode, Taylor and Andrew bring back Kate Winning from Oxford Space Systems to dive into the world of space textiles. From the knitted gold-plated mesh antennas that…

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  • Textile Materials

    March 31, 2026 · 56 min

    Textiles are all around us, they are literally woven into nearly every part of our daily lives. From the everyday materials in the clothes we wear to the specialty materials in parachutes, spacesuits, and even bulletproof armor. They play…

  • Phase Field Modeling

    March 6, 2026 · 40 min

    Many digital models use hard boundaries to simulate how materials change, but the real world is rarely that clean. Phase field modeling takes a more natural approach, capturing the gradual, messy transitions that actually occur. This makes…

  • Synchrotron XRD on Demand

    January 21, 2026 · 48 min

    Having access to advanced characterization tools sounds great but sadly they aren't easily attainable. Momentum Transfer seeks to remedy this by offering mail-in access to synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and scattering measurements…

  • Metal Organic Frameworks

    December 11, 2025 · 51 min

    The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to pioneers in the field of MOFs, but what exactly is a MOF? We sit down with Dr. Matthew J. Cliffe, an associate professor at the University of Cambridge, to discuss what makes metal–organic…

  • Merging 3D Printing and SPS

    November 11, 2025 · 33 min

    3D printing and SPS(Spark Plasma Sintering) are two incredible techniques that are best suited for different purposes, but what if there was a way to combine them to open up a whole new world of possibilities. We sit down with Christopher…

  • The Science of Gemstones

    October 9, 2025 · 52 min

    There’s a lot more to gems than just sparkly rocks. While we can’t promise they’ll cleanse bad vibes, we can dive into the incredible science behind them. In this episode, Andrew and Taylor chat with Mubashir Mansoor, a gemologist and PhD…

  • LionGlass

    September 19, 2025 · 28 min

    You may not think of glass production as a significant source of CO₂, but the stats may surprise you. Enter Penn State and their LionGlass, a phosphate-based glass that not only lowers the temperature needed for forming, but also avoids…

Full episode archive on Apple Podcasts →

About the show

In this podcast, Taylor and Andrew investigate the past, present, and future of materials science and engineering. Topic areas ranging from cutting edge materials technology, the history of different materials, the commercialization of new materials, and exciting advances in processing and characterization are all covered in detail. Our episodes include things like the unlikely discovery of superglue or teflon, the fascinating backstories about modern biomaterials like dialysis filters, and updates on new technologies including wearable electronics, next generation batteries, and nanomaterials. In short, we hope to help listeners understand the critical role that materials have played in society and even glimpse into what the future may hold for new materials.