Materials Science and Engineering

Apply now for Spaceflight Operations Workshop™! Do you have what it takes?
If “What I Did This Summer” essays were still a thing in school, the Department of Aerospace Engineering Spaceflight Operations Workshop would offer some great inspiration. And while those selected for this year’s edition may or may not be writing essays about it later, it will give them something even more valuable: a new way of looking at the world and handling challenges – from an “operational” standpoint. The application period for the two-week experience, set for August 2-14, 2022, is now open. As always, it will depart from the typical college classroom experience, to engage students in hands-on activities to learn planning, execution, and teamwork while transforming their thought processes to be more operationally centered. Read More

February 2, 2022
Change Agent: Martin Thuo, materials science and engineering
Martin Thuo and his research group have developed heat-free solder. They’ve printed electronics on rose petals. They’ve made “chameleon metals” that change surfaces in response to heat. With a bit of “metal whispering,” they’ve found a better way to recover precious metals from electronic waste. And now, after two and a half years of work, they’ve invented a new seed lubricant. What’s the source of that creativity? Read More

February 1, 2022
Tara Hoffman: Outstanding senior in materials engineering
Tara Hoffman is the fall 2021 outstanding senior in materials engineering. Read More

December 6, 2021
MSE welcomes Administrative Assistant Makayla Lim
The Iowa State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) welcomes Makayla Lim to its staff as administrative assistant. Read More

November 29, 2021
MSE honors grad students with departmental awards
Several graduate students in the Iowa State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) recently received departmental awards and scholarships: Scott Blazanin, Tyler Del Rose, Yifan Li, Matthew Marander, Madison Olson and Skye Supakul. Read More

November 15, 2021
REFORM plays to the tune of sustainability
When most of us think “recycling,” we don’t also immediately think “music.” But innovative students at Iowa State are collaborating across disciplines to find the perfect harmony between materials science, reducing waste, and creating new musical instruments. In the Recyclables Evolved from Offscouring Remade to Music (REFORM) project, students from areas in engineering, particularly materials science and engineering, are working together with student in music and theatre to reduce plastic waste at Iowa State by gathering plastic materials and transforming them into durable plastic musical instruments. Read More

October 8, 2021
An unusual request: MSE’s Alan Constant officiates graduate student’s wedding
Iowa State University Teaching Professor Alan Constant officiated the wedding of high school sweethearts Jonathan Zaugg and Sara Medina. Zaugg is a graduate student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, where Constant teaches. Read More

October 7, 2021
Ames Tribune: Nobel Prize Laureate and MSE Distinguished Professor Dan Shechtman visiting Ames
Dan "Danny" Shechtman won the 2011 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work discovering what are known as quasicrystals. He's a distinguished professor in Iowa State's materials science and engineering department and he's worked with the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory. Shechtman is visiting Ames for three weeks this fall. Read More

September 30, 2021
In memory of David Wilder, former MSE department chair and alumnus
David Wilder, professor emeritus and former chair of the Iowa State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), passed away on Aug. 18, 2021, at the age of 92. He retired from Iowa State in May 1991 after a long and impactful career. Read More

September 13, 2021
Honoring excellence: 2021 College of Engineering faculty and staff award winners, named faculty positions, and new patents
Recognizing College of Engineering faculty and staff award winners, new named faculty positions, and patents received. Read More

September 1, 2021
MSE welcomes Business Administrator Andrea Mauton
The Iowa State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) welcomes Andrea Mauton to its staff as business administrator. Read More

August 27, 2021
Engineers study advanced manufacturing methods in zero-gravity
A team of engineering researchers at Iowa State University is studying the most effective ways for manufacturing materials in outer space, with the hope that astronauts can use these methods while on space missions. Read More

August 26, 2021
ISU Honors Summer Snapshot: MSE’s PJ Micksch
Ever wonder what Honors students do during the summer? Honors Ambassadors and students will be taking you into their 2021 summer routines via photos. Check out this feature on PJ Micksch (sophomore in Materials Engineering). Read More

August 11, 2021
Undergrad research takes flight: MSE’s Jun Cui mentor in Boeing research fellowship program
Jun Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering, was a faculty mentor in the new Boeing Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. The partnership with Boeing pairs undergraduate students with College of Engineering faculty and Boeing engineers to get hands-on research experience in cutting-edge projects in aerospace engineering, cyber security, autonomous systems, machine learning and more. Read More

August 4, 2021
MSE student receives TMS Light Metals Division Scholarship
Jarrett Loseke, a sophomore in Iowa State University's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has received the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) Light Metals Division Scholarship. The scholarship is given to full-time undergraduate sophomores or juniors majoring in metallurgical and/or materials science and engineering with an emphasis on traditional and emerging light metals. Read More

July 8, 2021