
Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast
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.
Latest episodes

Jan 18, 2023 • 48min
Episode 62: Publishing in Scientific Journals
In this special out of studio episode, Taylor sits down with Marlene Silva(publisher for Materials Today)
and Susan Sinnott(department head and professor of Materials Science at Penn State) to discuss all the ins and outs of publishing. What are some good tips for first time publishers? What is an impact factor and is it even that useful? Take a listen and find out.
This episode is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator) Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa(editing assistance).
Keywords: Publishing Journals Elsevier Impact Factor Materials Today Research Papers

Nov 28, 2022 • 56min
Episode 61: Catalysis at the Toyota Research Institute
We partnered with the Toyota Research Institute to take a dive into the science behind catalysis with researcher Joseph Montoya. Learn how catalytic converters drastically change the makeup of your car's exhaust and help create cleaner air for us all.
Articles:
The tough calculus of emissions and the future of EVs
MOF-derived carbonaceous materials enriched with nitrogen: Preparation and applications in adsorption and catalysis
Single atom is not alone: Metal–support interactions in single-atom catalysis
This episode is sponsored by Toyota Research Institutes. Check out their homepage here. Take a look at jobs here
This episode is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator,co-host) Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa(editing assistance).
Keywords: Toyota Car Catalysis Catalytic Converter Smog Exhaust Platinum Nitrogen Oxide Rhodium

Oct 3, 2022 • 47min
Episode 60: Materials Modeling at General Electric
At a time where longevity and product life cycle is becoming increasingly important, learn how materials life can be modeled well before the production line. In this episode of our GE sponsored series we explore materials modeling and using tools such as Finite Element Analysis to save both money and materials.
This episode is sponsored by GE, a leading company in a multitude of fields. Check out their research homepage here. Take a look at jobs here
This episode is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator,co-host,editing assistance), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa.
Keywords: Materials Science Finite Element Analysis ABAQUS General Electric

10 snips
Aug 29, 2022 • 0sec
Episode 59: Photovoltaic Materials
We all know that solar panels take heat from the sun and turn it into energy/ What you may not know is the science behind that process and the materials that make it possible. Taylor sits down with his adventure buddy/photovoltaics expert Mike Scarpulla from the University of Utah.
This episode is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator,co-host), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa(editing assistance).
Keywords: Solar Power Alternative Energy Photovoltaics Green Power

Jul 15, 2022 • 50min
Episode 58: Materials Informatics at General Electric
How does a company like GE use machine learning to further their research into new materials and technology? Find out in the first episode of our General Electric sponsored series where we sit down with two experts at GE Andrew Detor and Kareem Aggour.
This episode is sponsored by GE, a leading company in a multitude of fields. Check out their research homepage here. Take a look at jobs here
This episode is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator,co-host), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa(editing assistance).
Keywords: Materials Informatics Machine Learning General Electric

Jun 13, 2022 • 55min
Bonus: Why is Materials Science Important?
In this bonus episode Taylor is interviewed by the "Breaking Math" podcast about why he is so passionate about the study of materials.
You can find more about them here: Breaking Math Podcast
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.

May 26, 2022 • 44min
Episode 57: Paper's Possibilities
Papers future is not written in stone. Taylor sits down with Phil Wild of James Cropper to discuss the past of the company as well as the future and in turn of paper. Learn all of the science that goes into nailing the perfect color as well as the expansion into other areas of the market.
This episode is sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa(editing assistance).
Keywords: Paper james cropper bags fibers composite mill
Support Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/materialism

May 3, 2022 • 32min
Episode 56: Ceramic Dental Composites
Taylor and Ramsey take you on a journey through the world of modern dentistry. Learn how we evolved from honey to complex composites for teeth repair. Also get a glimpse into the research Ramsey is doing in pursuit of his PHD.
This episode is also sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator,artwork), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa(co-host and editing assitance).
Keywords: dental composites dental work cavities fillings teeth dentistry dentists
Support Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/materialism

Apr 11, 2022 • 39min
Episode 55: Ceramics in Real Time
Anyone who has worked with ceramics knows that they are notoriously difficult to work with and gain data on. We sit down with Daniele Paganelli to discuss their current measurement devices and how they work. We also look to the future as Daniele explains their plans for a new online ceramics database and marketplace.
This episode is sponsored by Expert Lab Service, if you need devices to get real time data on Ceramics, consultation on how to run tests, or someone to run the tests for you considering giving them a try. You can visit the website Daniele was talking about at https://ceramics-genome.ai
This episode is also sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-creator,co-host), Andrew Falkowski (co-creator,co-host), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa.
Keywords: expert lab service ceramics processing data furnace Heating Microscope Optical Dilatometer Optical Fleximeter
Support Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/materialism

Mar 15, 2022 • 29min
Episode 54: μ: Getting The Most Out Of Conferences
Andrew and Taylor come to you from a garage in sunny California to tell you all about conferences. What should you do there? How do you handle hard questions at a talk you're giving? Why is there random car noises in the background of this episode? Get all the answers here.
Check out how they can help you find the perfect material for your next engineering project! This episode is also sponsored by Materials Today, an Elsevier community dedicated to the creation and sharing of materials science knowledge and experience through their peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, educational webinars, and more.
Thanks to Kolobyte and Alphabot for letting us use their music in the show!
If you have questions or feedback please send us emails at materialism.podcast@gmail.com or connect with us on social media: Instagram, Twitter.
Materialism Team: Taylor Sparks (co-host, co-creator), Andrew Falkowski (co-host, co-creator), Jared Duffy (production, marketing, and editing), Ramsey Issa (editing assistance).
Keywords: TMS, ACERS, conferences, science talks
Support Materialism: A Materials Science Podcast by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/materialism
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