Be informed

Arriving at the venue, Kings College London, I expected a huge auditorium for such a superstar materials scientist guest as Professor Mark Miodownik (left, with Professor Chris Lorenz*). But the lecture theatre was small, intimate, perfect. Unbeknownst to Professor Miodownik, he has educated many of my undergraduate students with clips from his BBC series, Everyday Miracles, a fascinating history of materials innovation. But that was then.

His lecture was about consumerism from the perspective of a self-declared technological determinist who finds (waste) solutions in materials science fused with…well, just about every other discipline.

Professor Miodownik walked us through the basics of consumer capitalism to the circular economy. But then the magic. A new concept, Animate Materials. A future in which, just as in nature, technologies repair themselves, often with the help of micro-organisms. It means the end of potholes and crumbling concrete. We learnt that disposable nappies are so brilliant because of a super absorbent polymer. The downside is that it is not biodegradable which means that the 300,000 nappies disposed of every minute stay with us. But somewhere out there is a biological solution…his team has discovered one, but it is a slow process. In the meantime, let’s toilet train children sooner (current average seems to be 37 months!).

Great lecture in a superb venue (never been to King’s before).

* forgive me if I have mis-identified you!