I am a Materials Girl

Author: Kate Quinlivan

Two days ago I was on a Zoom call with a university about their Materials Science and Engineering department, and it made me rethink what I knew about the field. The woman associated with the school mentioned the MSE triangle and that any MSE class I will take will guarantee to mention this. I had heard of this triangle before but her discussion made me rethink what I knew about Materials Science and Engineering.

Structure, Processing, and Properties

MSE studies how structure, processing, and properties of materials are related. Structure describes how atoms and molecules are arranged, from the microscopic crystal lattice to larger grain patterns. It determines how strong, flexible, or conductive a material can be. Processing refers to the methods used to shape, treat, or manufacture materials such as heat-treating steel, casting metals, or 3D printing polymers. These processes directly influence the structure, whether by altering grain size, creating new phases, or aligning fibers. Finally, properties are the measurable characteristics we rely on (strength, toughness, conductivity, corrosion resistance) and they emerge from the interplay of structure and processing. The beauty of the triangle is that no corner exists in isolation. Change the processing, and you alter the structure; shift the structure, and you change the properties. This interconnected framework guides scientists and engineers in designing materials for everything.

This year I am a senior in high school and am deep into the college admission process. All of these universities have unique traditions, and one I find very interesting is painting! At Duke, every first-year student leaves their mark by painting the East Campus Bridge during orientation, while at Northwestern, student groups “guard” The Rock for 24 hours before layering on their message. UVA’s Beta Bridge is one of the most visible forums on campus, where paint layers pile up daily with everything from sports cheers to memorials. At Michigan, the Ann Arbor Rock has been repainted so many times since the 1950s that it’s practically a geological formation in its own right.

The bridge painting for Duke is a kick-off activity of Orientation Week for incoming-first year students. (Picture Source: https://today.duke.edu/2012/08/ecampusbridge)
Northwestern undergrads often “guard” the rock for 24 hours to claim the right to paint it next. Picture Source: (https://www.northwestern.edu/about/history/the-rock.html)
UVA’s Beta Bridge often has announcements for campus events, current affairs bulletins, club member recruitments, commemorations of horrific world events, cheers for UVA athletic teams, and so on. (Picture Source: https://discovercharlottesville.com/listings/beta-bridge/)
Michigan’s Rock was originally painted gray, but has since been continuously painted over by students and other members of the community looking to make their (temporary) mark. (Picture Source: https://www.michigandaily.com/news/campus-life/a-campus-tradition-painting-the-rock/)

From a materials science perspective, these traditions are more than just campus fun. Each new coat of paint adds a polymer-based layer, creating a stratified record of pigments, binders, and fillers that interact over time through adhesion, diffusion, and weathering. Environmental exposure (UV radiation, humidity, freeze–thaw cycles) induces degradation, causing chalking, flaking, or microcracking that can expose older layers beneath. The constant repainting also creates a multilayer composite structure, sometimes several inches thick, with mechanical properties similar to laminates: stiff yet brittle, prone to delamination under stress. These campus traditions thus accidently generate living laboratories of applied materials science, where students walking past a rock or bridge are witnessing the durability, failure, and layered complexity of everyday polymers in action.

Here is a close-up of the layers of paint from the Northwestern Rock. (Picture Source: https://evanstonroundtable.com/2021/05/28/northwestern-rock-chipped-and-damaged-for-unconfirmed-reasons/)
These are the layers of paint from the UVA Beta Bridge. (Picture Source: https://news.virginia.edu/content/painting-beta-bridge-tradition-expression)

100% Fish Project

Iceland has always been a destination I’ve wanted to visit. Other than the obvious reason to escape the Florida heat, I would like to go because I hear they have fascinating landscapes of glaciers, volcanoes, hot springs, and waterfalls. It would also be incredible to see the Northern Lights. And it turns out Materials Science has a huge impact on their sustainability! In a world where industrial fishing often leaves a staggering 45–80 percent of a fish unused, Iceland has set a remarkable example—transforming nearly 90 percent of its cod catch into valuable products. This radical shift stems from the 100% Fish project, driven by the Iceland Ocean Cluster, a Reykjavik-based innovation hub where startups and established firms collaborate to extract maximum value from every part of the fish. This circular‑economy approach is already yielding impressive results. The fishing industry now contributes about 25 percent of Iceland’s GDP—despite a 45 percent reduction in total catch since 1981—while export revenues have more than doubled.

Fish heads and bones: Dried using Iceland’s geothermal energy and exported—especially to markets like Nigeria, where they serve as nutrient-rich soup bases.

Collagen and energy‑drink ingredients: Derived from fish skin, these are turning into trendy health products.

Skin grafts for medical use: Through the biotech company Kerecis, cod skin is being repurposed into wound‑healing grafts—one of the most innovative uses emerging from the 100% Fish collaboration.

Kerecis

Founded by Fertram Sigurjonsson, Kerecis specializes in decellularized Atlantic cod skin that promotes tissue regeneration, accelerates healing, and minimizes scarring—offering a safe, sustainable, and culturally neutral alternative to mammalian grafts. In 2023, the company was acquired by Denmark’s Coloplast for about $1.2 billion (a testament to both its effectiveness and commercial value).

Innovation

Iceland’s model shows that necessity and limited natural resources can spur innovation. By making full use of cod parts once considered waste, the country is not only boosting its economy but also reducing environmental impact and inspiring global industries to rethink resource utilization. What was once thrown away is now fueling health, medicine, and sustainable innovation.

References

Company, Fast. “Fast Company.” From Energy Drinks to Skin Grafts: How Iceland Uses 90% of Its Fish Waste, apple.news/AHauwxo7oTuqy2RD0tWG10Q.

The Crisis

Plastics have long posed one of the greatest environmental challenges in our society, persisting in ecosystems for centuries and fueling a global waste crisis. While recycling offers some relief, it is often energy-intensive and limited in scope. (And surprisingly not everyone recycles!!) New research, however, sheds light on an unexpected solution: microbes that can break down plastics in the cold.

The Solution

According to an article in The Guardian, scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute WSL have uncovered 19 bacterial and 15 fungal strains in alpine and Arctic environments capable of breaking down certain biodegradable plastics at just 15 °C (59 °F)—a much lower temperature than the typical requirement of over 30 °C for such microbial activity. These microbes were isolated from plastic samples buried in locations across Greenland, Svalbard, and Switzerland, then cultured in the lab in darkness at 15 °C, where they showed abilities to degrade polyester‑polyurethane (PUR) and blends of PBAT and PLA, but not conventional polyethylene (PE). Particularly notable were two previously uncharacterized fungi—genera Neodevriesia and Lachnellula—that were effective against all tested biodegradable plastics except PE.This discovery suggests a promising, lower-energy pathway toward industrial enzymatic recycling of biodegradable plastics. The identification of cold-adapted, plastic-eating microbes underscores the potential of science to find solutions where we least expect them. If developed further, this discovery could help transform how we recycle plastics and reduce their lasting impact on the planet. Sometimes the best solutions are where you least expect it!

A pile of plastic bottles at a rubbish dump in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand. Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA

References

US, Guardian. “Guardian US.” Microbes Discovered That Can Digest Plastics at Low Temperatures, apple.news/Al4_8ogEUT8ekE7bQuCDylQ

Juno Beach Headquaters

I loved being able to share my experience at my NextEra Internship with this blog, however we spent the remaining time at the headquarters in Juno Beach, FL and I was unable to document it. They did not allow us to take pictures, but it was one of the most unique buildings I have ever been in. Unlike the labs, the headquarters gave me a broader perspective of how all the different teams—nuclear, wind, and solar—fit together with business management and finance. It was much more about strategy and coordination, but it still carried the same spirit of innovation I had seen in the prior week.

Kyoto Gardens Location

We also visited the new Palm Beach Gardens (Kyoto Gardens) location, which had a similar emphasis on creativity and problem-solving. This brand new building was created to withstand Category 5 hurricanes—suitable to house all of the storm teams during a hurricane. What I found most interesting about this building was that they built it so that every room in the entire facility had access to natural light. Being in both of these places showed me how the hands-on work I observed earlier connects to the bigger picture of NextEra’s mission. Overall, this internship gave me an inside look at both the technical and organizational sides of clean energy. With that, my NextEra experience came to an end, but it was an incredible opportunity to learn and see how engineering can drive change.

This is the headquarters building in Juno Beach, FL. The entire facility is surrounded by water and a scenic walking trail. (Picture Source: https://www.nexteraenergy.com/about-us/our-history/environmental.html)
This the new building on Kyoto Gardens Drive. I anticipate it to become the new headquarters eventually, as NextEra is ever growing and this is a much larger location with the space for many more employees. (Picture Source: https://ongardens.org/2022/08/01/exclusive-fpl-seeks-to-build-second-building-at-gardens-site/)