Using an understanding of concepts from chemistry and materials science- “one big, continuous spectrum,” Marfarlane said-enabled the development of new ways of thinking about developing materials. Chemists, on the other hand, can focus so much on controlling individual bonds that they ignore the bigger picture of the full material. For example, materials scientists can gloss over the bonds that make up a material, focusing instead on how microstructural features consisting of arrays of atoms influence physical properties. But each field refers to these things in different ways. “Material scientists and chemists both work with atoms and molecules and bonding interactions,” Macfarlane said. Macfarlane began his tenure story this way: “It’s the story of somebody who started out their academic life as a dyed-in-the-wool chemist and has now gradually transitioned over to the ‘dark side’ of engineering.” But as he found in trying to explain his switch, the difference between light and dark-or metaphorically, chemistry and materials science-is not as dramatic as it sounds. ”We wanted to create this series to bring the human here and have a chance to see the person that got tenure and then celebrate that person.” “A continuous spectrum” But most importantly, it’s about the human,” said Grossman in his introduction of Macfarlane in 6-120 on Oct. But tenure is also much more than that, said DMSE head Jeffrey Grossman. Tenure Talks, which kicked off earlier this fall, give newly tenured professors the chance to discuss the research that helped qualify them for the appointment. While trained chemist Robert Macfarlane had to reconcile the ostensibly different disciplines of chemistry and materials science before conducting groundbreaking research in programmable matter, James LeBeau developed new techniques in electron microscopy to solve once uncrackable mysteries about materials’ makeup. DMSE’s new Tenure Talks series examined the careers of two materials scientists who achieved success by overcoming obstacles built into their academic journeys.
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