34: How Interactions at Material Surfaces Can Help Detect Anthrax (ft. Dr. Chris Hamlett)

Surface to volume ratio is one of the most heard terms in the materials community, and it is an extremely important parameter in nanoscience. Surface science in general is imperative to the understanding of material properties and interactions with other species. Tuning the surface allows for a drastic change in the behavior of materials, allowing them to go from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic or even act as chemical sensors.

Before we introduce our guest, check out our free professional development guide for materials scientists and engineers!

Today’s guest is Dr. Chris Hamlett, a Henry Royce National Outreach Officer for Materials Science. In this episode, he discusses how a material’s surface can be used for much more than water repellant applications.

In this conversation, we discuss the following topics:

• How the properties of materials are defined by their surface
• The unique properties of nanomaterials
• Chemical sensors: detecting anthrax
• The relevance of foams in our lives. 
• The Discover Materials program

Read more about Discover Materials at https://www.discovermaterials.uk/

Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. 

Also, check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science!

Thank you Joao Morgado for editing this episode!

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.

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 [email protected]. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE!

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.

#jobsearch #materialsscience #careerdevelopment #professionaldevelopment #engineeringstudents #students #materialsengineering #strategies #resumetips #interviewtips #networking #industry