Prof Harry Bhadeshia was invited to Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST) to give the first of a two-part lecture titled 'the wonder of iron'.

The Frank Golick Lecture series at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at MST was founded in 1969 and named after a 1918 metallurgical engineering graduate whose successful career in the steel industry included developing a number of important new applications for metals. The series was created through a memorial fund established by Golick’s widow, Loree, to attract nationally recognized metallurgical engineers to MST to inspire with the faculty and students.

This sees a continuation of a fruitful relationship between MST and Queen Mary University of London. MST's Prof Greg Hilmas worked with Queen Mary's Prof Michael Reece on high-temperature ceramics, capable for service at temperatures in excess of 2000°C as part of a large project including other UK Universities and the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Prof Bhadeshia's lecture was aimed for a general audience, to explore the idea that iron is such a reliable material that it is accepted by the general population as something that simply works. He talked about the remarkable resilience of ships involved in the Solong/Stena-Immaculate collision, and how the size of the damage can be estimated in a back-of-the-envelope calculation.

The second part of the lecture will follow shortly.