1% Inspiration artwork

13. Peter Serles - Science Communication, Printing the CNano Tower, and Academic Mentorship

1% Inspiration

English - June 22, 2022 07:41 - 1 hour - 100 MB
Technology career development uoft engineering science u of t engineering uoftengineering university of toronto research engineering student professional development Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Previous Episode: 12. Mickael Dang - Transitions: Medicine to Engineering, France to Canada, and Research to Entrepreneurship
Next Episode: 14. Dr. Phil De Luna -Being a Research Capitalist and How Engineers can Tackle Climate Change

Introducing Peter Serles (Current PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering @ University of Toronto)

Peter Serles is a Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering specializing in the Nanomechanics of Materials supervised by Dr. Tobin Filleter at the Nano-Mechanics and Materials Lab. He is a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar (2020-2023) researching the nanomechanics of nanoscale-additive manufactured (nano-3D printed) components for nano-structural, robotics, and machine applications. He earned his M.A.Sc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto, and Bachelor of Engineering Science from The University of Western Ontario.

Episode Breakdown

00:00:48 Peter's story leading up to pursuing Ph.D. in Nano-mechanics at UofT00:06:04 Nano-mechanics research: it's application and challenges00:11:19 Choosing research as pathway comparing to consulting and design00:29:11 Covid research re-start committee and science communication00:33:06 System thinking as a researcher00:45:18 Lightning Round00:59:41 Continuing to grow : collaborating outside the field and closing the gap of communication between fields01:05:37 Final advice for student and talked about importance of letting yourself struggle

Notable Quotes

"Research is a rabbit hole with no bottom to it...If you go niche enough you will become the expert of your area."  - Peter Serles, on pursuing a Ph.D. Degree.“Science without communication is a nerd in the lab."  - Peter Serles, on system thinking as a researcher."Your growth happens at the edge of your comfort zone."   - Peter Serles, advice for undergraduate students.

Resources mentioned with Links

University of Toronto Research Revealed Gallery10,000 PhDs ProjectNanomechanics and Materials Lab at the University of Toronto EngineeringCanadian Science Policy CentreRBC Olympians ProgramShaping Science - Book by Janet VertesiThe Pleasure of Finding Things Out - Book by Richard FeynmanPeter PrincipleScience SAM - Dr. Samantha Yammine, Science CommunicatorVanier Graduate ScholarshipFaculty Council Standing Committee (Governance at U of T Engineering)U of T Engineering - Design TeamsAdvice to a Scientist

Resources for Managing Research

Mendeley - Reference Management SoftwareORCID - digital identifier for researcherGoogle Scholar

Articles about Peter

CNano Tower by MIE PhD candidate Peter Serles featured in U of T's Research RevealedMIE PhD Candidates teach engineering concepts to kids at UofT's STEM DayFive UofT Engineering grad students awarded Vanier Scholarship in recognition of research impact and leadership

How to get in touch Peter

Email: [email protected]LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pserles/

Submit to our Suggestion Box if you have a great potential guest idea or some feedback!

This podcast is supported by the Hart House Good Ideas Fund, the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, the Department of Chemical Engineering, and the Engineering Alumni Network, all at the University of Toronto.

Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/sonda/were-in-it-together. License code: AT02WGQJBZNM4PMH