Event
MSE Seminar: Dr. Nick Schwartz, MIT
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
3:30 p.m.
Room 2110 Chemical and Nuclear Engineering Building
Sherri Tatum
301-405-5240
statum12@umd.edu
"The Fusion Revolution and Not Taking Yourself Too Seriously"
The first part examines magnetic confinement fusion and how materials science is key to its success. Imagine containing a soup hotter than the sun -- your bowl should be pretty sturdy! As a recent UMD MSE grad, my research focused on the centrifugal mirror approach, which harnesses supersonic particle rotation to enhance plasma confinement. Through computational and experimental work, hexagonal boron nitride emerged as a promising material for withstanding the extreme conditions of a fusion environment, even outperforming conventional fusion materials.
Bio: Nick Schwartz is a materials scientist specializing in fusion energy technologies. As a recent PhD graduate from UMD, he received honors including the UMD-wide 3-Minute Thesis Competition, the Doctoral Dean's Research Award, and was supported by the ARCS Scholarship. After graduating from MIT with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he pursued masters at Imperial College and Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar. Starting next month, he will be joining MIT's High Energy Density Physics Group as a postdoctoral researcher, studying inertial fusion and solar evolution. Beyond the lab, Nick is an avid woodworker who builds fine furniture and enjoys hiking with his wife and dog.
