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	Podcast:		UC Science Today
	Episode:		Using the science of superheroes for STEM outreach
	Category:		Science & Medicine
	Duration:		00:01:03
	Publish Date:		2016-02-01 00:00:00
	Description:		Educators looking for a way to get kids interested in materials science and engineering may want to bring some superheroes into the mix. That’s what mechanical engineer Suveen Mathaudhu of the University of California, Riverside has been doing – and it seems to be working. He’s now regarded as an expert on the science of superheroes. "The science portrayed in comic books is fairly diverse. From the metals work that you see in Captain America’s shield and in Thor’s metal hammer and in Wolverine’s claws; to bio-inspired materials, like Spiderman’s web; to magnetic materials and energy materials as manipulated by Magneto." Mathaudhu, who studies how to make metallic materials lighter and stronger, started making connections between the superpowers of superheroes and real science. "I started using these in my technical talks as an interest grabber and then slowly, I saw more and more connections to research, to STEM outreach, and to the kind of work that I’m doing. So, it’s been a fantastic outreach tool and continues to be interesting to me."
	Total Play:		0