MSE Erica Corral's Plasma Sintering Furnace - Forging Tomorrow

Erica Corral, Ph.D., professor of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at the University of Arizona, uses a special furnace – a plasma sintering furnace – to study how nanoengineered materials perform at ultra-high temperatures. Why? Because at 20 times the speed of sound, tomorrow’s hypersonic vehicles will need to withstand temperatures upwards of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit as they scream through the atmosphere.

For Corral, the work is as much about the students as it is about the science. In her lab, she combines high-tech ideas with raw student talent to forge the innovations – and the professionals – who are fueling the industries of the future. Read the full article here.