Free Daily Podcast Summary
It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Punith Upadhya and David Yeh
"It's a Material World" is a podcast that uncovers why materials science will change the world. We explore how materials are engineered to make an impact all around you and how they will play an even bigger role in your future. We also invite experts onto the show to share high-level insights on how MSE can make a difference in nearly any industry. The field of materials science and engineering is new and exciting, so hop on board now and you won't get left behind. For additional updates, soundbites, and bloopers, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @itsamaterialworldpodcast. Feel free to connect with Tom Miller and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn as well! We'd love to chat with you to discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, what you'd like to see from our podcast, and how to get more involved in the field of materials science and engineering.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Dec 25, 202338 min
126: Racquet Sports Equipment and Materials Testing (ft. Koki Asahina)
Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/2R3o5UMJ0SI When you pick up a racquet at the tennis court, have you ever thought: “this feels great!” Or, “this doesn’t feel so great”? There’s a science to that! Sports equipment companies rely on feedback from amateur players, professionals, customers, and their employees to design better products by translating subjective data into materials engineering problems. This lets them improve on pre-existing designs on sports gear. We are joined by Koki Asahina, an MSE student from Georgia Tech who is currently a racket sports engineering intern at Wilson Sporting Goods Company, who tells us all about how the “feel” is crucial to the design and improvement of sports equipment, and the large role played by materials science in this. 🔹How feedback from players and users are used to improve racquet design 🔹How sports equipment are tested using industry-standard experiments 🔹Why simulations are useful to understand the relationship between material properties and their functions 🔹Why we need a worldwide standard of material specifications 🔹And much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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. #SportsScience #Tennis #Materials ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps: Teaser (0:00 – 0:41) Intro, life updates, and episode highlights (0:41 – 4:11) Introducing Koki Asahina (4:11 – 4:57) Link between physiology and sports equipment (4:57 - 7:25) Work on Parkinson's rehabilitation (7:25 - 12:16) Developing a simulated tester at Wilson R&D (12:16 - 14:48) Importance of ‘feel’ (14:48 - 17:11) Improving racquets using feedback (17:11 - 25:50) Simulations in racquet design (25:50 - 31:43) Need for standardization for materials testing (31:43 - 36:18) Future of materials engineering in sports equipment (36:18 - 38:41) Conclusion (38:41 – 39:00) MSE Academy (39:00 – 40:04)
- Nov 20, 202351 min
125: Driving Nuclear Energy: Data-Driven Materials Science (ft. David Pham)
A resume mix-up landed a material scientist into a data scientist role. This happy accident led him to discover how data drives the design and operation of materials and experiments. At its core, nuclear energy is all about generating electricity by converting water to steam to drive a turbine - very, very powerfully. But there’s a ton of data management that goes into its successful operation. Our guest this week is David Pham, a senior materials engineer at TerraPower, who talks about his current projects Natrium, a Gen IV nuclear reactor, and ARMI, their in-house materials database solution. Join us as we also discuss: 🔹How data from materials, mechanical properties, chemical operations dictates the experiments and models in nuclear processes. 🔹 The importance of rigorous record keeping and data management in a sensitive field like nuclear energy. 🔹 The regulatory and auditing challenges in the nuclear industry, and how it departs from traditional sectors like oil and gas. 🔹 How data science will become more and more important for nuclear and material (and any kind of) engineers in the future. 🔹 And much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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. #NuclearPower #DataScience #Materials ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps: Teaser (0:00 – 0:48) Intro, life updates, and episode highlights (0:48 – 5:18) Introducing David Pham (5:18 – 5:55) Dispelling myths about nuclear energy (5:55 - 7:29) Data management at TerraPower (7:29 - 8:32) Regulations in the nuclear energy sector (8:32 - 10:06) How data dictates design and operations (10:06 - 12:16) Auditing the data and calculations (12:16 - 15:41) Project Natrium and materials selection (15:41 - 24:10) Importance of data science for materials engineers (24:10 - 28:05) Data sources and quality management (28:05 - 41:18) Advice to data scientists and aspiring engineers (41:10 - 52:05) Conclusion (52:05 – 52:27) MSE Academy (52:27 – 53:33)
- Nov 13, 202338 min
124: Shape Memory Alloys: Flexing for Safer Innovation (ft. Dr. Habib Alavi)
We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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.
- Nov 6, 202339 min
123: From Biology & Industrial Design to MSE: Seamlessly Shifting Roles (ft. Aaron Nesser)
We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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.
- Oct 30, 202336 min
122: Failure Analysis as a Key Metallurgical Skill (ft. Nirbhay Tandel)
We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps: - Teaser (0:00 – 0:53) - Intro, life updates, and episode highlights (0:53 – 7:12) - Introducing Niks Tandel (7:12 – 8:03) - The importance of metallurgy (8:03 – 9:48) - Typical day of a metallurgist & working from home (9:48 – 14:20) - The niche field of spring wiring (14:20 – 22:07) - Tempering and heat treatments (22:07 – 25:45) - The importance of failure analysis (25:45 – 28:54) - Increasing revenue by 100% in 1 year (28:54 – 31:45) - Innovations in metallurgy within 10 years (31:45 – 33:55) - Advice for MSE’s to excel in failure analysis (33:55 – 36:37) - Conclusion (36:37 – 37:37) - MSE Academy (37:37 – 38:42)
- Oct 9, 202337 min
121: Evolution of Organic Electronics & Electronic Packaging (ft. Dr. Benedict San Jose)
We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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.
- Sep 25, 202336 min
120: Metal Additive Manufacturing: Ultrasonic Energy vs Heat Energy (ft. Dr. Anagh Deshpande)
We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps: - Teaser (0:00 – 0:57) - Intro, travel, and episode highlights (0:57 – 4:53) - Introducing Dr. Anagh Deshpande (4:53 – 5:32) - Metal vs. plastic additive manufacturing (5:32 – 9:08) - Availability of metal 3D printers (9:08 – 12:42) - Ultrasonic vs. lasers for melting metal (12:42 – 15:27) - Anagh’s story (15:27 – 18:36) - Challenged in large-scale metal AM (18:36 – 20:37) - Materials that work with metal AM (20:37 – 24:54) - Speed of printing vs. resolution (24:54 – 29:39) - Pitching ideas to investors (29:39 – 31:51) - To use or not to use powder (31:51 – 33:37) - Advice: getting involved in metal AM (33:37 – 35:21) - Conclusion (35:21 – 36:01) - MSE Academy (36:01 – 37:07)
- Sep 18, 202353 min
119: Disruption vs. Incrementalization in the Energy Transition (ft. Dr. Reed Eisenhart)
What does it take to completely revolutionize the global energy infrastructure? This is the Energy Transition. We’ve done it before. Once the value of gasoline was discovered and understood, gasoline production increased by orders of magnitude within just a few decades. How does this compare with the need to reach net-zero carbon emissions as soon as 2050? Are solar panels, batteries, and biofuels capable of such a meteoric rise? In today’s episode, we welcome Dr. Reed Eisenhart, an Independent Consultant for Energy Transition Technologies. With him, we discuss all things Energy Transition, specifically: 🔹 What is the Energy Transition and how MSE’s can fill key roles in it. 🔹 The differences between innovating iteratively by improving existing technology (incrementalization) and creating something new (disruption). 🔹 How to determine if a new technology or invention is worth pursuing. 🔹 Key technical differences between sodium ion and lithium ion batteries. 🔹 And much more! We hope you enjoy the episode! And as always, let us know what topics you’d like us to cover next! Learn more about our MSE Career Development Online Course, which includes more industry-specific information and advice. https://www.mseacademy.com/courses/students-tier-2 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. https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN Check out our MSE-themed merchandise if you want to support us or simply show off your love of materials science! https://www.itsamaterialworldpodcast.com/shop 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 itsamaterialworldpodcast@gmail.com. Finally, reach out to David Yeh and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn if you'd like to chat about the latest breakthroughs in MSE! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/ http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/ https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod 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. Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/0fySE54PGB8 #EnergyTransition #Innovation #NetZero ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Timestamps: - Teaser (0:00 – 0:51) - Intro, travel, and episode highlights (0:51 – 4:32) - Introducing Dr. Reed Eisenhart (4:32 – 5:27) - Reed’s work: energy, batteries, and more (5:27 – 7:34) - Moving from industry to consulting (7:34 – 11:39) - What is the Energy Transition (11:39 – 22:09) - Improving current tech or making something new (22:09 – 31:31) - Examples of disruption vs. incrementalization (31:31 – 36:59) - Answering the question “which technology is worth pursuing?” (36:59 – 41:13) - Important upcoming MSE technologies (41:13 – 44:40) - Sodium ion batteries vs. lithium ion batteries (44:40 – 50:03) - Advice: getting involved in the energy transition (50:03 – 54:51) - Conclusion (54:51 – 55:12) - MSE Academy (55:12 – 56:17)
Get It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast summaries in your inbox
Free AI-powered daily recaps. Key takeaways, quotes, and mentions — in a 5-minute read.
Get Free Summaries →Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
You Might Also Like
Podcasts in similar categories.
Hidden Brain
Explores human behavior and the unconscious patterns that shape our decisions, relationships, and society through science and storytelling.
Something You Should Know
Explores practical wisdom and expert insights to help listeners improve their lives, careers, and relationships.
Inside AsembleAI: DeepTech, AI & Science
Experts discuss AI's impact on business, product development, and leadership with researchers, founders, and executives.
Huberman Lab
Explores neuroscience and science-based tools for understanding and improving brain function, behavior, and health.
Big Ideas Lab
Inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, uncover breakthroughs in science and technology shaping the future.
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens
Discussions with experts on energy, ecology, economics, and human behavior to understand the systemic challenges facing civilization.
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
Explores how values, religion, and culture shape individuals and society through interviews and lectures.
Gastropod
Explores the science and history behind food and farming, from ancient feasts to modern aquaculture and everything in between.
About It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast
"It's a Material World" is a podcast that uncovers why materials science will change the world. We explore how materials are engineered to make an impact all around you and how they will play an even bigger role in your future. We also invite experts onto the show to share high-level insights on how MSE can make a difference in nearly any industry. The field of materials science and engineering is new and exciting, so hop on board now and you won't get left behind. For additional updates, soundbites, and bloopers, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @itsamaterialworldpodcast. Feel free to connect with Tom Miller and Punith Upadhya on LinkedIn as well! We'd love to chat with you to discuss the latest breakthroughs in MSE, what you'd like to see from our podcast, and how to get more involved in the field of materials science and engineering.
Customized Recaps
AI-powered recaps with compact key takeaways, quotes, and insights.
Straight to Your Inbox
Get key takeaways from It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast in a 5-minute read.
Save Hours Every Week
Stay current on your favorite podcasts without falling behind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by Punith Upadhya and David Yeh.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts, any in the catalog. Basic raises that to 15, Pro to 40 and Max to 100. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
What topics does It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast cover?
It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast covers topics including Science, Chemistry. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
Start getting It's a Material World | Materials Science Podcast summaries tomorrow morning.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.
Free forever for up to 3 podcasts. No credit card required.