When:     7:00 pm, Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Where:    Orca Books (509 East 4th Avenue, Olympia — Phone 360.352.0123)

See Below

Our topic for September is New Materials Based on Inspiration from Biology.

During the past twenty-five years, discoveries by biologists, zoologists, chemists, materials scientists, and others have provided exciting and important information about how materials behave in natural environments. Areas such as camouflage, sensing, protection from moisture, adhesion, and toughness of new composites have been prominent as areas for study. In this presentation, Dr. George Mayer will also review some of his work at the University of Washington on energy dissipation…or toughness, in composite materials that are found in nature. Studies of the structure and properties of seashells and sponge skeletons have been the focus of his work, and the results may even extend to bones and teeth. Potential practical uses of the research will also be discussed.

Dr. George Mayer is Research Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Washington.
October Topic: To Be Announced