Performance Materials Lab

Performance Materials Lab

The William States Lee College of Engineering

Research

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Visits UNC Charlotte: Dr. Cait Clarkson Brings the Future of Sustainable Manufacturing to Our Department

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Dr. Cait Clarkson

The UNC Charlotte Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science welcomed Dr. Caitlyn Clarkson from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility today for a Spring 2026 seminar that gave our faculty and students a front-row seat to some genuinely exciting applied materials science. Dr. Clarkson’s talk, “Large Scale Additive Manufacturing of Biobased and Biodegradable … Read more

From the Shop Floor to the Sensor: Marley Magnotta’s Work on Wearable Gloves for Worker Health and Safety

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Marley Sensor Glove

Good engineering solves real problems for real people. Marley Magnotta’s undergraduate research this semester did exactly that, and she presented it with the confidence and clarity of someone who understands both what she built and why it matters. At the UNC Charlotte undergraduate research symposium, Marley presented her project titled “Wearable Flexible Sensors for Injury … Read more

Outstanding Undergraduate Research: Evaluating Materials for Hypersonic and Spacecraft Applications

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Paul and John Research

One of the most rewarding parts of directing a research laboratory is watching undergraduate students tackle genuinely hard problems and deliver results that advance the field. This semester, Paul Travers and John Tran did exactly that. I am proud to share that Paul and John recently presented their research at the UNC Charlotte undergraduate research … Read more

PML Undergraduate Researcher Presents at NCUR 2026

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Sam Phillips Conference Presentation

Performance Materials Laboratory undergraduate researcher Sam Phillips traveled to Richmond, Virginia this month to present original research at the 2026 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), held April 13-15 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University. Sam’s presentation, titled “Modeling the Transport of Forever Chemicals in the Arctic Ocean,” examined … Read more

From the Caribbean to the Lab: PML Begins Analysis on New Atlantic Samples

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Offshore of Guadalupe aboard Dawn

The Performance Materials Lab (PML) at UNC Charlotte is excited to announce the next phase of our ongoing research into coastal water health. Our partners at the Sustainable Seas Institute (SSI) have successfully returned from their ten-day expedition through the Lesser Antilles, delivering a critical new dataset directly to our shoreside facilities. A Collaborative Success … Read more

Heading into the New Year: Clean Water Caribbean Expedition

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Lesser Antilles

From December 30 to January 8, the Performance Materials Lab team will be heading into the Lesser Antilles for a multi-island expedition across St. Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe. This ten‑day journey will launch our new year of research and education with a focus on vibrant tropical ecosystems, coastal communities, and the changing health of … Read more

Visit to MIT and Harvard

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Harvard Materials Science and Engineering

Wrapped up my time in Boston after the fantastic AIChE conference with a couple of truly inspiring visits to two of the world’s leading academic powerhouses! First stop was MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The energy of innovation there is palpable—from new structural materials and quantum computing applications to advanced biomaterials and sustainable … Read more

Ocean Science Meets the Arctic: UNC Charlotte’s Performance Materials Lab Brings Real-Time Research to Hough High School

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Tipton Arctic Research

What does it look like when a high school science class connects live with researchers working at the top of the world? On September 24, students in Craig Arkfeld’s Environmental Science class at Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina, found out firsthand. Dr. Roger Tipton, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Performance … Read more

First-Time Author Publishes Important PFAS Data

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PFAS Dataset Paper

First-Time Author Publishes Groundbreaking PFAS Data We’re thrilled to announce the publication of a significant new paper, “Temporal Dataset of Emerging and Legacy PFAS Concentrations (ng/L) in 11 Inland Watersheds (Lakes, Rivers, Islands) and Median PFAS Concentrations Across 14 Seas and Oceans Over Multiple Time Periods.” This marks a major milestone, as it’s the first … Read more

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