Ceramic Tech Chat

The U.S. national laboratory system serves a unique role in the country’s research and development landscape. Chris Heckle, director of the new Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center at Argonne National Lab, talks about how the national labs contribute to the innovation ecosystem, overviews the research that takes place at Argonne specifically, and describes how the new Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center aims to improve and expand the labs’ support for industry.

 View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Chris Heckle is director of the Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center at Argonne National Lab. She came to Argonne from Corning Inc., where she served as research director for inorganic materials research and Asia research labs. The Materials Manufacturing Innovation Center is a new initiative at Argonne that aims to accelerate the scale-up of advanced materials and process technologies. Learn more about working with the Center at this link.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Government space agencies traditionally drive most space exploration, but new entrepreneurs see opportunity to create space-based businesses. Jonathan Volk, senior manager of in-space manufacturing and advanced materials at commercial space company Sierra Space, talks about how he became involved with the commercial space industry, outlines Sierra Space’s vision for commercializing space, and considers the broader impacts of making space a more accessible destination.

 View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Jonathan Volk is senior manager of in-space manufacturing and advanced materials at Sierra Space, a commercial space company headquartered in Colorado. Sierra Space aims to develop in-space vehicles, platforms, and capabilities to improve life on Earth.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

More than one hundred years since The American Ceramic Society began, brick remains an integral—and interesting—part of today’s built world. John Sanders, director of the National Brick Research Center at Clemson University, shares how he became interested in researching brick and other clay-based construction materials, overviews what takes place at the National Brick Research Center, and discusses how brick is positioned to help support our sustainable future.

 View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
John Sanders is director of the National Brick Research Center and associate professor at Clemson University, S.C. At the industrially funded Center, he helps oversee the provision of research, education, and services to producers and users of bricks and other clay-based construction materials.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.   

What will it take to mitigate the effects of climate change? Jürgen Rödel, professor and ceramics group leader at the Technical University of Darmstadt, discusses the most concerning effects of climate change, shares how he became active in advocating for sustainability, and describes what individual and organizational actions can be taken to preserve the Earth for future generations.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Jürgen Rödel is professor and ceramics group leader at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany. His group studies lead-free piezoceramics and their use in energy storage applications, as well as dislocation-based functionalities of ceramic materials. In recent years, he has become a passionate advocate for sustainability while recognizing the complex interweave of economic, geographic, political, and technological factors. He published a “Letter to the editor” on this topic in the September 2022 Bulletin. For more information, read the sixth assessment report on climate change published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2022, and learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.  

When transitioning from student life to your professional career, finding supportive mentors in your community is key. Sanjay Mathur, director of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Cologne in Germany, shares his experiences mentoring students, reviews his current research on hybrid material interfaces and their properties, and talks about how societies like ACerS provide additional support for students and help them lay the groundwork for a professional career.

 View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Sanjay Mathur is director of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Cologne, Germany. His research group studies functionalization of nanocrystalline powders for energy and biomedical applications. As 2022–2023 ACerS president, Mathur's aims to help ACerS sharpen its value proposition and find ways to connect to younger communities.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.  

What if ceramics are not as brittle as conventionally believed? Xufei Fang, junior group leader in the nonmetallic inorganic materials research group at the Technical University of Darmstadt, shares how his background in metals positioned him to pursue the study of dislocations in ceramics, reviews his current research in the TU Darmstadt group led by Jürgen Rödel, and describes initiatives underway to educate the larger ceramics community about this research field.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Xufei Fang is junior group leader in the nonmetallic inorganic materials research group led by Jürgen Rödel at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. He studies dislocation-based functionality of ceramic materials and their mechanical properties. He and colleagues recently established a master's course on ceramic dislocations, as well as helped organize sessions at several meetings on this topic.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials. 

While astronauts have some of the most public-facing roles at NASA, what other research takes place behind the scenes to make launching into space possible? Valerie Wiesner, research materials engineer at NASA Langley Research Center, shares how she became involved with the materials side of space research, describes working on mitigation strategies to minimize the impact of lunar dust, and gives her thoughts on what to expect from space exploration and travel in the coming years.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Valerie Wiesner is research materials engineer at the Advanced Materials and Processing Branch of the NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia. This summer, she served in a temporary position as acting assistant branch head of the Crew Systems and Aviation Operations Branch at Langley. She is actively involved in ACerS Engineering Ceramics Division, including serving as chair of the 44th International Conference and Exposition on Advanced Ceramics and Composites in 2020.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials. 

What are the benefits and challenges of researching and publishing about ceramics from both an art and science perspective? Ryan Coppage, director of introductory and inorganic laboratories at the University of Richmond, shares how he became involved in both the art and science side of ceramics, describes his research on ceramic glazes, and talks about the new book he just published with The American Ceramic Society’s International Ceramic Artists Network.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Ryan Coppage is director of introductory and inorganic laboratories at the University of Richmond in Virginia—and also a ceramic artist! He is drawn to the Venn diagram overlap between science and art, and he currently works on research projects that are frequently split between the University of Richmond and the Visual Arts Center of Richmond, developing low metal-loading color alternatives for ceramic surfaces. He just a book published with The American Ceramic Society’s International Ceramic Artists Network titled “The Anatomy of a Good Pot.”

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials. 

To develop materials that function in extreme environments, scientists need instruments capable of measuring material properties in those environments as well. Rick Weber, president and founder of Materials Development Incorporated, describes how his company develops instruments to test materials in extreme environments, discusses some recent experiments they have on the International Space Station, and shares what he thinks the future of materials science research in space will look like.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Rick Weber is president and founder of Materials Development Incorporated in Evanston, Illinois. The company develops instruments for measuring thermophysical properties of materials in extreme environments and provides technical support to clients working with advanced materials, as well as conducts its own materials research. Weber and his team currently are helping to conduct two experiments on the International Space Station.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Materials scientists often look ahead to the next big thing—but sometimes looking back may inspire future research. Katherine Faber, Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology, shares her journey to researching ceramic materials, how she got involved with studying objects of cultural heritage, and describes some of her recent projects.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Katherine Faber is the Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology. Her group focuses on the fracture of brittle materials and mechanisms by which such materials can be toughened and strengthened. Their studies comprise  ceramics for energy-related applications, including thermal and environmental barrier coatings; porous solids for filters and flow; and scientific studies of cultural heritage objects. She is an ACerS Distinguished Life Member and past ACerS president (2006–2007).

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.