Mentors
Michael Wahlers
Manager, Product Design Engineering
Casegoods Design and Product development.
In this video, we were able to get in touch with one of Ethan Allens Material Engineers. Here we have asked him multiple questions about our project and the ideation process of bringing an idea to market and the different tests that they conduct to make sure that their furniture is safe to use and won't break upon human interaction.
Jim De Yoreo
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Chief Scientist, Materials Science, PNNL
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Co-director, NW Impact
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Affiliate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington
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Nico Sommerdijk
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Full Professor, Eindhoven University of Technology
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Leader of Laboratory of Materials and Interface Chemistry
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Scientific Director of the Center for Multiscale Electron Microscopy
We were able to get in touch with Jim De Yoreo and Nico Sommerdijk, scientists who have published a research studies on the microstructure of shells. They used micelles to artificially replicate the proteins that are in the brick microstructure that gives a shell its strength. They answered our questions about the natural composition of shells. We now know that environment can play a role in the size and thickness of the shell, and that shells have protein and organic materials that act as a mortar in the microstructure. When asked if the microstructure could ever be put into a phone case, De Yoreo said, "I’m sure it could be."
Our interview with Jim De Yoreo and Nico Summerdijk
Mathew Szymanski
An engineering student at Binghamton University
Matt informed us that more advanced math would be used to analyze the strength of the shell. These calculations could include internal shear and moment. These are two of the internal reaction forces that are caused by weight. Our mentor, an engineering student at Binghamton College, provided us with information about how to calculate internal shear and moment, but as 9th graders, we lack the math skills to complete these calculations.