Lecture Readings
See the calendar section for the schedule of readings.
Textbook
DeHoff, Robert. Thermodynamics in Materials Science. 2nd ed. CRC Press, 2006. ISBN (print): 9780849340659. ISBN (eText): 9781420005851. [Google Books Preview]
Additional Readings
- Denbigh, Kenneth. Chapter 4 in The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium, 4th ed. Cambridge University Press, 1981. ISBN: 9780521281508.
- Callister, William D. “Phase Diagrams.” Chapter 9 in Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 8th ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2018. ISBN: 9780470419977.
- Chandler, David. “Statistical Mechanics.” Chapter 3 in Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 1987. ISBN: 9780195042771.
- Clerc, Daryl G., and David A. Cleary. “Spinodal Decomposition as an Interesting Example of the Application of Several Thermodynamic Principles.” Journal of Chemical Education 72, no. 2 (1995): 112–115.
- Ferrie, Chris. Statistical Physics for Babies. Sourcebooks, 2018. ISBN: 9781492670308.
Readings for Discussion Sessions
Novel for the course this year, two class sessions were devoted to discussing the social and personal aspects of working in the field of materials science. The intention was to have students explore their individual purpose and motivation for pursuing careers in science and engineering, and to have them think about the impact of their work on the wider world.
Social and Personal Session 1
Required Reading
- Kaiser, David. “The search for clean cash.” Nature 472 (2011): 30-31.
- Kaiser, David. “History: Shut up and calculate!” Nature 505 (2014): 153-155.
At least one of the two following story collections
Stories of Mapmaking
- “The Great Trigonometrical Survey.” Wikipedia.
- “Surveying Empires: The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India.” ArcGIS StoryMaps.
- McCarthy, Tom. “The Mapmaker’s Conundrum.” The New Yorker, June 27, 2014.
- Owen, David. “How a Young Activist Is Helping Pope Francis Battle Climate Change.” The New Yorker, February 8, 2021.
Stories of Chemistry
- King, Gilbert. “Fritz Haber’s Experiments in Life and Death.” Smithsonian Magazine, June 6, 2012.
- “The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1918.” NobelPrize.org.
- Radiolab. “The Bad Show” (Haber segment). Radiolab Podcast, July 27, 2018.
Social and Personal Session 2
Required Reading
Rothman, Joshua. “How Does Science Really Work?” The New Yorker, September 28, 2020.
Required: At least one of the following stories of individual careers
- Fabbiano, Giuseppina. “The woman who explained the stars.” Nature 578 (2020): 509–510.
- Famous Scientists. “Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar.” FamousScientists.org.
- Hubbard, Ruth. “Dark Lady of DNA: Book Review.” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 28, no. 3 (2003): 973–975.
- Mielczarek, Eugenie. “Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.” Physics Today 56, no. 2 (2003): 61–62.
