Michigan Materials Science and Engineering

10/05/2026

Autumn🍂 Michigan Engineering

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

🎉 **Congratulations to MSE’s Abdon Pena-Francesch!**

We’re proud to celebrate **Assistant Professor Abdon Pena-Francesch** on receiving two honors recognizing his outstanding **mentorship and early-career achievements**: the **Distinguished Faculty Mentor Award** from the U-M Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the **ESM Department Early Career Recognition Award** from Penn State. 🏆

Through his **BioInspired Materials Lab**, Abdon develops self-healing polymers, soft robotic materials, and functional coatings, while mentoring the next generation of engineers and researchers. 🔬

👏 Join us in congratulating Abdon on these well-deserved recognitions!
Michigan Engineering

09/29/2026

🎙️ Undercooled: A Materials Education Podcast

What happens when we rethink the way materials science and engineering is taught? 👀

Undercooled explores active learning, flipped teaching, team- and project-based learning, innovative assessment, and much more—all through the lens of materials science and engineering education.

Hosted by Tim Chambers and Steve Yalisove from the University of Michigan’s Department of Materials Science & Engineering, the podcast shares ideas, experiences, and conversations about transforming the classroom. 🧑‍🏫🔬

🎧 New episodes are released regularly! michigan.engineering

📌 Want to listen? Join us on our YouTube channel www.youtube.com/.Materials

09/29/2026

🎉 Congratulations to MSE’s Wenhao Sun!

We’re proud to celebrate Wenhao Sun, who has received a 2026 NSF CAREER Award for his project, “Predicting the synthesis and synthesizability of metastable epitaxial thin films.” 🏆

Sun’s research combines materials science, thermodynamics, and computational modeling to help predict how thin-film materials can be synthesized with desired properties—work with potential applications in advanced computer chips, sensors, and energy technologies. 💻🔬

The project also brings research and education together through innovative approaches to teaching thermodynamics and phase transformations, including virtual-reality phase diagrams, curriculum modules, and an exhibit at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. 🧪✨

👏 Join us in congratulating Wenhao Sun on this well-deserved recognition and exciting work ahead! Michigan Engineering

09/26/2026

🍂☀️❄️🌷 What’s your favorite season? Cast your vote 🗳️
And if you’re feeling it, tell us in the comments why — we’d love to hear what makes that season special to you!👇💛💙

09/24/2026

👟 DO YOU HAVE SNEAKERS YOU’RE LOOKING TO GET RID OF? Brian Love’s Polymeric Materials class (MATSCIE 412) is sponsoring a used sneaker drive now through Nov. 26. Look for the nearest drop-off box located across North and Central Campuses. (The one pictured here is in the MSE Student Lounge on the 2nd floor of Dow.) All sneakers will be repurposed by Sneaker Impact, which will either break them down into reusable, high-quality materials or sell them at a fraction of their value to those in need, both locally and globally. Give your sneakers a new life and help reduce landfills — donate today!

09/23/2026

BREAKING NEWS: Our MSE Undergrad Program is #5 in the country!🎉🎉🎉 Michigan Materials Society U-M Engineering

09/23/2026

🔬 Seeing materials at the coldest temperatures yet

Researchers are pushing electron microscopy toward absolute zero, opening new possibilities for seeing materials at the atomic scale under extreme conditions.

U-M’s Robert Hovden helped pioneer the technology behind this advance, developing a liquid-helium cooling attachment that enables stable atomic-resolution imaging at ultra-low temperatures. Former Hovden lab students and U-M MSE alumni Noah Schnitzer and Suk Hyun Sung have also helped advance the field.

The result? New tools for exploring quantum materials, superconductivity, magnetism, and potentially the materials behind tomorrow’s quantum technologies.

Read more in Nature. [link in bio]

09/22/2026

🌪️ What a memorable day it was!
Turns out, even a tornado can’t stop the MSE community! 🌪️
What started with storm clouds and sirens ended with great food, amazing people, and a true . ✨
Different location, same MSE spirit—adaptable, resilient, and always stronger together. 💛💙 University of Michigan U-M Engineering