Science podcastAn “Excellent” Podcast
10 June 2022
Science podcast gives insights into the research of the Excellence Cluster “3D Matter Made to Order”
The central concern of the Cluster of Excellence “3D Matter Made to Order”, a collaboration of Heidelberg University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, is to push the boundaries of possibility in the field of 3D printing and three-dimensional materials processing. The science podcast “Exzellent erklärt” shows the applications that this technology enables in different areas of life. The episode entitled “3D Druck – Neue Materialien, neue Möglichkeiten”, dealing with the new materials and potential of 3D printing, is available on the podcast website.
“Exzellent erklärt – Spitzenforschung für alle” is the science podcast of the 57 Clusters of Excellence in the Excellence Strategy funded by the federal and state governments. In the twelfth episode, Prof. Dr Jochen Wittbrodt, Heidelberg cluster spokesperson, Christina Schlagheck, his doctoral student, and Prof. Dr Peter Gumbsch from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology discuss the opportunities and challenges of the cluster’s research with moderator Larissa Vassilian.
Life scientist Jochen Wittbrodt and doctoral researcher Christina Schlagheck concern themselves with organic materials – the stem cells of fish. The challenges in the field of 3D bioprinting include using models from nature in order to generate organoids, i.e. organotypic microstructures. The long-term goal of their basic research in this field is the creation of donor organs from the patient’s own cell material. Materials scientist Peter Gumbsch is doing research on artificial materials called metamaterials, which are provided with special properties. Such properties – e.g. the rotation of a material in response to mechanical pressure – are particularly interesting for technical applications that are not achievable with traditional materials.
In every episode, the science podcast “Exzellent erklärt” presents research from one of the 57 research networks supported by the German Research Foundation. Scientists talk to moderator Larissa Vassilian about the way in which cutting-edge research looks for science-based answers to relevant questions of our time.
The Cluster of Excellence “3D Matter Made to Order” (3DMM2O) under the aegis of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Heidelberg University pursues a strong interdisciplinary approach in connecting the natural and engineering sciences. The cluster focuses on three-dimensional additive manufacturing technologies – from the level of molecules to macroscopic measurements. The aim is the complete digitisation of 3D manufacturing and materials processing based on processes that are precise, rapid, and efficient. This approach enables the scientists involved in the cluster to transform digital information into functional materials, devices and systems that create the preconditions for innovative applications in the materials sciences and life sciences. 3DMM2O receives funding as a Cluster of Excellence from the Excellence Strategy of the federal and state governments and is also financed by the Carl Zeiss Foundation.