I am a Materials Girl

Category: Academics

Tom Fitz Background

​Tom Fitz is a distinguished American wildlife cinematographer, producer, and director with over 35 years of experience capturing the natural world, and we had the opportunity to hear him speak at our school this past week. His acclaimed work has been featured by major broadcasters such as PBS, BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery, earning him four Primetime Emmy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and an induction into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2021​. In 2008, Tom co-founded Schoolyard Films, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental education. The company produces high-quality natural history and environmental films tailored for K–12 classrooms, each accompanied by study guides aligned with educational standards. Fitz’s passion for wildlife filmmaking and education has taken him across all seven continents and five oceans, including challenging environments like the polar regions. His commitment to making environmental education accessible continues to impact students and teachers across the country including my own school.

The presentation

I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Fitz’s presentation: his soothing voice and clear passion for the environment made it incredibly engaging and impactful. One of the most powerful takeaways for me was the alarming fact that, if current trends continue, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050. That really stuck with me and reinforced just how urgent this issue is. As someone who’s already very conscious of plastic use and pollution (thanks in large part to my mom, who’s an Earth Science teacher), I found this presentation both eye-opening and motivating. It inspired me to keep making sustainable choices and to encourage others to do the same. Fitz’s talent as a cinematographer was also undeniable: the clips he shared were visually stunning and perfectly supported his message. It was such a meaningful way to mark Earth Day, and I can’t say enough good things about it!

THe solution

Plastic pollution in the ocean is a growing environmental crisis, and materials science is necessary in finding solutions. Each year, millions of tons of plastic (made from synthetic polymers designed for durability) end up in marine environments, where they can exist for centuries. These plastics don’t biodegrade easily and often break into harmful microplastics that affect marine life and can eventually enter the human food chain. However, there’s hope. In his presentation, Tom Fitz shared an exciting development: scientists have discovered a type of fungus capable of biodegrading plastic. This breakthrough offers a promising, nature-based solution to reducing plastic waste on Earth. By combining innovations like this with the work of materials scientists developing sustainable alternatives and smarter waste systems, we have a real chance to combat the plastic crisis and protect our oceans!

Tracking How Plastic Moves in the Coastal Ocean - Eos

Works Cited

About — Schoolyard Films. “Schoolyard Films.” Schoolyard Films, 2021, www.schoolyardfilms.org/syf-about. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Wheeling, Kate. “Tracking How Plastic Moves in the Coastal Ocean.” Eos, 21 Dec. 2020, eos.org/research-spotlights/tracking-how-plastic-moves-in-the-coastal-ocean.

State Finals

I have been playing soccer for as long as I can remember. Whether it was rec, club, or for school, I have always been on the field. I am currently a junior at The Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, FL and have been a member of the varsity soccer team since freshman year. Our team has always been extremely talented, making it all the way to State Semifinals my freshman year and State Finals the year before I joined the team. After a devastating loss in the Regional tournament and losing our three leading goal scorers last year, a State Championship seemed out of reach. Despite having a rough start to the season, winning only four games in the regular season, we made it to the State Championship. Last week on February 28 we won 2-1 in overtime in the Semifinal match giving us the bid for the final game. This past Saturday, March 1, we won 1-0, taking home the State Championship title for the first time in program history at Benjamin. It felt like no one believed in us but ourselves, but that was all we needed to keep pushing forward. The State Championship was truly an unforgettable experience, and I love every single person on this team that I got to share it with.

Materials Science in SOccer

Materials science actually plays a crucial role in soccer, influencing everything from the ball to player equipment and even the field itself. Modern soccer balls are designed using synthetic leather with carefully engineered panel shapes and thermal bonding techniques to improve aerodynamics and durability. Cleats utilize lightweight yet strong materials like carbon fiber and advanced polymers to enhance speed, traction, and comfort. Beyond gear, materials science also affects stadium design, with high-tech turf systems combining natural grass with artificial fibers for optimal playability in various weather conditions. Our home field is synthetic turf, and might be the most slippery field I have ever played on. It is basically guaranteed for players on every visiting team to fall and slip on our field. Through constant innovation, materials science helps improve performance, safety, and the overall experience of the game.

The preparation

Every year, my school allots time for anyone who did a summer science internship/research to present their work to the entire school during assembly. I knew I would inevitably partake in summer research, but I also knew I would never present. This past summer I did Materials Science and Engineering research at the University of Virginia, which you can read more about in my other blog post (UVA Advance Independent Lab Research). The email rolled out asking if anyone had participated in research over the summer, and I remember telling my mom that I cannot respond to the email or else I will be forced to present. I happened to have the teacher in a Biotechnology class who was responsible for the presentations, and I let it slip that I worked in a lab over the summer at UVA. She was amazed by the work and really wanted me to share everything with the entire school. She assured me everything was going to be fine and was simply going to be a casual conversation between her and me. I ended up agreeing to do the presentation….which I am still in complete shock about. I continually practiced in front of her and other classmates until the day arrived. I was so scared for weeks until the day finally came, and so did a hurricane. This hurricane closed school for the day I was supposed to present, meaning I had to live with the anticipation for another whole month. I really just wanted to get it over with, but the extra time allowed me to fix my script even more and slow down my talking. In every practice session, my teacher’s only comment was to slow down. I talk so fast!

the presentation

The day finally arrived, and my presentation was displayed on the large screen as we all filtered into the auditorium. I sat in the front row, listened to my introduction, walked onto the stage, and gave this long awaited presentation. It was so rewarding once it was over, and I am beyond proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone and speaking in front of the entire school. People in all of the classes I had after the assembly were constantly complimenting, and I am forever grateful for this teacher to help me with something of this level. I have always had a fear of public speaking, and I could not have done it without her! I would have loved to attach the video of the presentation, however, I am not sure if I am legally allowed to do that because of the other presenters and the fact that I do not actually own or recorded the video. I do have some pictures I would love to share of the people I presented with and the presentation itself!

Uva Advance Lab Research

From July 13-August 7, I spent three and a half weeks at the University of Virginia. The program was called UVA Advance, which was specifically designed for high school students. Each day we went to two classes. My morning class was a lab research and my afternoon class was an Oceanography course. (Funny enough, my mom had the same professor for Oceanography when she took the course in 1997.) There were two of us assigned to this specific lab. Overall there were about five other labs also being used for UVA Advance. Each day we went to the Energy Science and Nanotechnology Lab and learned about Materials Science, but more specifically, the Electrical Engineering branch of Materials Science. There were three PhD students helping us and teaching us about what they were researching. We learned about insulators, conductors, semiconductors, and impurities and how electrical current/flow works. More specifically, how resistance and the seebeck effect affected different materials.

Materials Science and Engineering

Our main grad student was studying Bismuth Antimony and how its resistance can be used to cool down electronics from the inside. He showed us the steps to create a sample of this compound, and this process can take days at minimum. We went through the process of testing samples that were already made, instead of starting from the beginning. In a thermoelectric module lab we conducted, we measured the efficiency of different heat sources and heat sinks with voltage. A Thermoelectric Module with heat sensors on the top (heated side) and bottom (cool side) was put under different heat sources (hand, heat/solar lamp, and electrically heated ceramic block) to see the effects on temperature and voltage. This was then repeated with the heat sink placed in water, which is better at absorbing heat because the higher capacity water has compared to air for heat. As expected, the ceramic heater in water had the highest temperature difference and voltage. This was a great experience and it was interesting seeing the machinery and work of these researchers in a real lab setting!

The Shoe

This past year I decided to take an Introduction to Ceramics course, knowing close to nothing about the glassware. I have always known I had some artistic abilities, but this was mostly 2D. Drawing, painting, and coloring were really the only practices in my area of expertise. Then again, why not try something new. Throughout the semester I discovered a new interest, even submitting one of my pieces into a competition. The project was to create a shoe through realism or idealism. The realistic shoe would perfectly convey all aspects of a real shoe, and the idealistic shoe would resemble something abstract, at least not typical of a shoe. I began creating a navy starred Golden Goose, but it ended up being more idealistic than I ever expected. I named it “Looking Down at the Stars” writing: “Almost every quote ever made about stars says either ‘look up at the stars’ or ‘reach for the stars,’ but what if we don’t need to be in the sky to be with the stars? What if all the stars we need in our lives are already all around us? Sometimes this isn’t always the easiest to realize, but maybe looking down at the stars can remind us we are all stars. Never forget, sometimes the prettiest stars are the ones we need to look down to see.” This was the written entry I submitted to the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and ended up winning a Silver Key.

THe Process

As for the process, there were various steps necessary to create such a lifelike shoe. I first had to roll the slabs of clay thin enough to avoid explosion in the kiln but thick enough to maintain shape. After cutting the shape, I attached each side to build up the shoe.When it was at the leatherhard stage, when it was sturdy enough to be carved, I then added the necessary detail including the star, the sole, the tongue, and the laces. For the laces I rolled very thin slabs and pressed them onto a canvas to add the cloth texture. To attach anything you must scratch and use slip (clay and water), ensuring everything stays in place. I added the final details and then let it dry. If water is trapped, it may explode in the kiln, so the piece must dry to the bone-dry stage before firing. This first firing is called the bisque firing producing bisqueware. The kiln heats up to 2000 degrees and takes 24 hours. The clay now becomes stone and vitrified. After using both underglaze, glaze, and oil paint to convey different materials in the shoe, it is put into a second firing. This is called the glaze firing and the piece becomes glazeware. There can be up to two firings and the glaze is now solidified on the surface. This entire process shows how a lump of clay can turn into an award winning ceramic shoe! Materials truly have endless capabilities.