The overall aim of this graduate seminar course is to bring together chemists, physicists, planetary scientists, and engineers to explore the role of extreme conditions in chemistry, physics, materials science, planetary science and space exploration. This year's course will bring in speakers, drawing upon ASU faculty and external visitors, virtually and in person, to discuss their own research and also activities at their institutions at a level appropriate to beginning graduate students. A number of our speakers will be from national laboratories (e.g. NASA Glenn Research Center, Los Alamos National Lab, Oak Ridge National Lab. Idaho National Lab, and Argonne National Lab) to discuss special facilities and research opportunities related to both materials and space science. ASU’s role in obtaining materials data from Mars and elsewhere in space will also be highlighted.

 

The Navrotsky Eyring Center for Materials of the Universe (MotU) brings together chemists, physicists, planetary scientists, and engineers to engage in multidisciplinary research on the role of materials in planetary science and space exploration. MotU has four major emphases: (1) to understand the staggering diversity of planets in our solar system and beyond (exoplanets) from the point of view of possible materials, pressures, and temperatures within them, (2) to use this diversity of extreme environments to envision and synthesize new materials, (3 )to engineer materials, composites, and systems for aerospace, remote sensing, and space mission applications and (4) to educate the workforce of the future, well versed in planetary science, chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. The seminar course emphasizes current research in materials science with applications to energy, sustainability, nuclear materials, and other topics of national importance. The complementary interests of academic and national lab investigators will add diverse perspectives.

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Speakers