LASER: Materials Science Podcast

In this episode Cameron interviews Dr. Sarah Truebe, the cave resource manager at Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona. This episode was recorded underground at the end of a day we spent cleaning graffiti out of this popular wild cave. We discuss how Dr. Truebe got started caving, how some cave research is performed, and […]

We’re back! You may have heard about some controversy surrounding a recent pre-print published on the arxiv about room temperature superconductivity.  This would be an extremely exciting result if it weren’t for some issues.  The authors won’t share their samples and have not yet fully described how to make it–they say that will come in […]

Welcome to 2015! This year’s perihelion edition was recorded on the day which the earth is closest to the sun.  We cover a diverse list of important scientific and engineering happenings from 2014, and even talk about a little biology and genomics research! (but don’t worry, its mostly cool physics, space, and engineering stuff.)   […]

We’re finally back from our long hiatus!  Sorry about the wait, both Cameron and Emily were busy getting their masters degrees, and right after he submitted his thesis, Cameron’s laptop got fried! This week we discuss Space X and Boeing contracts to transport NASA astronauts to the International Space Station by 2018, and some new […]

Most coffee-particular people already know that the quality of the water you use is important for good coffee, but a recent paper describes how affecting the specific hard mineral content can have important changes in the relative extraction of specific flavor and strength affecting chemicals in your brew. We discuss the basics of coffee preparation, […]

This week on LASER we discuss a realistic computer simulation of a universe, a proposed mechanism for why tin whiskers are destroying our most sensitive computers, and GaInSn liquid metal used to reconnect severed nerves in frogs. 5:00 Our first story is about the story “Astronomers create first realistic virtual universe”   from the Illustris Project. 15:40  […]

For our first episode of the summer on LASER: Let’s Agree Science & Engineering are Rad, we discuss our own Chris’ recently-accepted paper about inorganic ZnS window layers on organic solar cells.  These increase the efficiency, and help protect the cell from environmental damage.   We then talk about the NRL Press release describing long-chain hydrocarbon […]

This week’s LASER Pulse! is about the Heartbleed computer vulnerability.   We cover the basics of the heartbleed bug, why its important, and mention that you really need to CHANGE YOUR PASSWORDS.  Because this is a Pulse episode, there are little to no edits (just the intro and outro really), and the whole show is only […]

The cast of the Technically Speaking Podcast join us to talk with  about the future of super rad airships for scientific use similar to satellites! We also talk about a company planning a new method for extracting Lithium from geothermal vents, to meet the needs of the Tesla Giga-Factory.   3:00 Our guests today are […]

On Episode 14 of LASER we discuss using tree branches as water filters, a new type of super-thin room temperature infrared light detector that uses graphene, and the $1 Origami Microscope. 4:05 The article in Popular Mechanics titled “A simple tree branch can become a backyard water filter”  and the FREE paper in PLOS One […]

This week is all about Microgravity! Chase and Cameron interview some members of the ASU Dust Devils Experiment about their plans to take dust into microgravity and learn more about how planets are formed! Then we talk about ISS experiments for fighting fires in space and on the ISS, and finally cooling atoms down to […]

On this week’s show– Laserbones–Chris and Cameron discuss laser-3-D-Printed materials based on bones (lasers & bones), the use of cremated remains for synthetic diamonds (bones), and potential space mirror technologies made out of laser-trapped polystyrene beads (lasers)! We also have our first iTunes review! 3:23  Article from The conversation.com titled “Scientists create bone-like material that […]

This week on LASER we have a plant materials themed episode where we discuss cellulose nanocrystals for use in composites, using plants as wires for computing, and using green tea to synthesize gold nano-stars for cancer treatments, drug delivery, and photonics. 2:00 Introductions and Emily explains the shiny new lab she is working for! 4:30 […]

This week on LASER we discuss Perovskite solar cells with organic charge transport layers, the horrible health effects of illegal backyard gold ore refining in Indonesia, and a new free open source metal 3-d printer from Michigan Tech. This show is also the first one we ever recorded entirely over the internet.   1:30 introductions […]

Just a quick update about our plans for the future, and some begging for ratings and reviews, topic suggestions, and interviews. Now that we’re 10 episodes deep, and finally getting the hang of this podcasting thing, its time to start trying to expand our listener base, and make a couple changes to the show. We’re […]

This week on LASER, a super-sized cast discusses Semiconductor design/processing, Google robots and the DARPA robotics Challenge, a proposed form of space-based propulsion called e-sails, and the extension of the ISS mission until at least 2020!   2:00 we do some extended introductions this week, since we realized we haven’t ever properly given background information. […]

This is our special perihelion edition, where we celebrate being closest to our sun by reviewing some of the best science and engineering  stories of 2013. Today we’re a whopping 4% closer to the sun than at the furthest point.  This episode spans many different subject areas, but is extremely disorganized, so please don’t take […]

This week on LASER, Emily and Cameron discuss batteries built by modified viruses, charge-dependent crystal changes of Lithium/Selenium-Sulfer Batteries, and Microbiological fuel cells built on natural loofah sponges.   1:15 we start on “Better Batteries Through Biology?” (HERE is the full paper) 13:00 the three major metrics for battery performance 15:00 will these battery-building viruses […]

In Episode 6 – Fukushima Roll – we discuss whether tuna contaminated by the Fukushima disaster is safe to eat, canceled plans for a wind farm off the coast of the UK, and a new advancement in nanostructuring superhydrophobic materials for even better waterproof surfaces. 00:00  we introduce Heather! A new co-host, and our resident […]

In Episode 5 – Old News, we discuss “space” tourism balloons (Hindenburg), photonic crystals applied to photovoltaic solar cells, and million year data storage in fancy Q-R codes (iPods for immortal elves?).     2:30 we “jump right into it” (after a few minutes of chatter…) with the New York Times’ Article: “Balloon Ride to […]

This week the Pulse! episode is a story we had to cut from Episode 4.  The show would have been way too long otherwise, so we chopped off the last story, and put it here for you!  Alex, Emily, and Greg join me in the discussion. This episode is about 25 minutes long.   Here’s […]

In Episode 4 of LASER, we discuss new ionic conductor materials with applications in biomedicine and in technology, talk with Ben Tippett of the Titanium Physicists Podcast the politics of scientific funding in Canada, and how the US government shutdown affected scientists.       1:30 introductions! We have Emily and Alex, and a new […]

This week on LASER we discuss Light Sabers, building Atomic Force Microscopes out of LEGO, a short film from IBM Research Labs, water on Mars, and blasting asteroids with tiny laser satellites, with only a little off-topic discussion of webcomics and scifi movies…     2:00 After the introductions we start talking about new research […]

We have two new hosts for this episode, Sivan and Matt co-host with Cameron. The discussion includes spider silk coated with carbon nanotubes, the Voyager 1 space probe leaving the solar system, Frank the Frog, the most accurate atomic clock to date, and architectural mishaps that put some people in hot water (har har).   […]

Here is the first LASER Pulse! episode. These are short 10-30 minute updates that will fit in between the regular fortnightly release schedule.   Today’s show briefly covers three new materials science news stories that otherwise wouldn’t make it to the full-length shows. The topics we talk about are: “Guinness Record: World’s Thinnest Glass Is Just […]

Here’s the very first episode of LASER!   Let us know what you think in the comments.  Today we discuss how ancient artifacts were gold coated, a new form of carbon called “carbyne,” and how scientific data is published and shared.   Show Notes: 2:30  Alex introduces himself as “The Slinky” instead of troll king.  Or, […]