Tim and Steve talk with Jerry Bourne from Colorado School of Mines about his bladesmithing class in the Materials and Metallurgy department at Colorado School of Mines, and the award-winning TMS Bladesmithing Competition team from Mines. We discuss the importance of applied knowledge for motivating students to develop theoretical knowledge, and the challenges and rewards of delivering a high-enrollment lab project course every semester.

You can find more info about Jerry here:
https://metallurgy.mines.edu/project/bourne-gerald/

Jerry has a YouTube channel for his bladesmithing activities that you can find here:
https://www.youtube.com/@MinesBladesmithing

He also has an instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/mines_bladesmithing/

You can find the YouTube version of the podcast here:
https://youtu.be/oAQVJbfFNrs

Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials

Short bio:
Short bio:
Gerald Bourne grew up in a small town in eastern Connecticut before moving to Florida. As a non-traditional student, he earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from theUniversity of Florida. Following graduation, he joined the faculty at the University of Florida, where he spent five years developing undergraduate courses and laboratory experiences in materials engineering.
In 2011, Dr. Bourne joined the Colorado School of Mines. He currently serves as the Charles F. Fogarty Endowed Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MME). He has received numerous awards selected by the students at Mines and serves as the primary undergraduate advisor for the department. In addition to teaching and advising, he directs the Physical Metallurgy Laboratory, supporting instructional and research activities across the university.
Dr. Bourne created MTGN333: Introduction to Bladesmithing and has taught the course 18 times. The class has become one of the most sought-after electives at Mines and is oversubscribed every semester. Through this unique course, students apply the principles of metallurgy, heat treatment, and materials characterization while designing and crafting custom knives.
Dr. Bourne's primary professional interests are undergraduate engineering education, laboratory instruction, and hands-on learning. He has developed numerous laboratory courses, directs the Physical Metallurgy Laboratory, and created the nation's only engineering bladesmithing course that integrates metallurgy, heat treatment, and knife making. His educational outreach through the Mines Bladesmithing program has reached millions of viewers online while inspiring students to explore materials engineering.
His technical interests include materials characterization using optical and electron microscopy, focused ion beam microscopy, electron and X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, nanoindentation, and nanowear testing. He has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed journal publications.
Outside the university, Dr. Bourne enjoys spending time at his mountain home, restoring old cars in his garage, and attending Colorado School of Mines student events.

This episode is sponsored by the TMS Foundation (https://www.tms.org/TMSFoundation/TMSFoundation/Default.aspx), The Electric Vehicle Center (EVC) at the University of Michigan (https://evc.engin.umich.edu/), and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).

Steve and Tim talk with Professor Liz Holm about teaching thermodynamics, life as a department chair, and the future of Materials Science and Engineering.

The YouTube video can be found here:
https://youtu.be/6ZHt4haqgJg

Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials

This episode is sponsored by the TMS Foundation (https://www.tms.org/TMSFoundation/TMSFoundation/Default.aspx), The Electric Vehicle Center (EVC) at the University of Michigan (https://evc.engin.umich.edu/), and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).

Tim and Steve talk with Dr. Loulou Batta about her experiences as a grad student and her thoughts about her future now that she is getting her PhD in the week we filmed this podcast. We discuss topics from sustainable fiber composites to helping new graduate students acclimate to a new living environment to the value (or lack thereof?) of coursework in a PhD program.

The YouTube video can be found here:
https://youtu.be/YncBxEr_ADY

Our YouTube channel can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/@Undercooled.Materials

This episode is sponsored by the TMS Foundation (https://www.tms.org/TMSFoundation/TMSFoundation/Default.aspx), The Electric Vehicle Center (EVC) at the University of Michigan (https://evc.engin.umich.edu/), and the University of Michigan Materials Science and Engineering department (https://mse.engin.umich.edu).