About the Seminar

The idea of living on Mars or the Moon has been a staple of science fiction since the 19th century.  However, if this sci-fi dream were to ever become reality, what would it be like to live there?  Conditions make living on Mars extremely challenging.  In particular, materials needed for such extreme environments need to be discovered and designed.  In this talk, we will present an overview and current research on carbide and boride materials, especially their crystallography, for potential uses at extreme environments, including ultra-high and ultra-low temperatures, impact, and radiation.  We will also describe recent work on charge regulation, electrical double layer interaction forces, and catalytic responses of nanoparticle superstructures for use at extremes of pH, particularly ceramic/polymer hybrids.

About the Speaker

Olivia A. Graeve, Ph.D.

Jacobs Family Professor

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

University of California San Diego

Prof. Olivia A. Graeve (http://graeve.ucsd.edu/) joined the University of California San Diego in 2012 and is currently the Jacobs Family Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Director of the CaliBaja Center for Resilient Materials and Systems (http://resilientmaterials.ucsd.edu/), and Director of the Materials Science and Engineering Program.  She holds a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering (2001) from the University of California, Davis, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Structural Engineering (1995) from the University of California San Diego.  Her area of research focuses on the design and processing of new materials for extreme environments, including extremes of temperature, pressure, and radiation.  Prof. Graeve has been involved in many activities related to the recruitment and retention of women and Hispanic students in science and engineering and has received several prestigious awards including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2020.  She has been inducted into the Tijuana Walk of Fame (2014), the Mexican Academy of Engineering (2016), the Mexican Academy of Sciences (2019), the Latin American Academy of Sciences (2022), and has been named Fellow of the American Ceramic Society (2017) and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2021).