8: How Polymers Can Save Lives (feat. Dr. Jeff Hrivnak)

<p>Polymers provide a diverse range of solutions to some of our most challenging problems - especially in healthcare. </p> <p> </p> <p>Before we introduce today’s guest, check out our <a href='https://www.subscribepage.com/mseprofessionaldevelopmentguide'>free professional development guide</a> for materials scientists and engineers and join our <a href='https://discord.gg/49dCV3W4eN'>Discord community</a> to meet other passionate MSEs from around the world!</p> <p> </p> <p>In today’s episode we talk with Dr. Jeff Hrivnak, a Strategic Growth Manager at Solvay, to explore the possibilities unlocked by polymers. He can be reached at: <a href='https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhrivnak/'>https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffhrivnak/</a>. In this conversation we unpack of the challenges polymers are uniquely equipped to solve in the biomedical field. </p> <p> </p> <p>Our topics in today’s episode include:</p> <ul><li style="font-weight:400;">What polymers are, and how they vary from other classes of materials (2:10)</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">How structure and types of polymers drive their applications (9:02)</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Using polymers to filter blood in hemodialysis (14:44)</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">How Solvay has used their technologies to help during COVID-19 crisis (20:20)</li> <li style="font-weight:400;">Analyzing sustainability of plastic medical devices (30:29) </li> <li style="font-weight:400;">And much more!</li> </ul> <p>For shorter segments, subscribe to our channel on <a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUXt6ui8iC5npSizlfIJ2A'>YouTube</a>. For bloopers, audiograms, and interesting materials science articles, follow us on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/itsamaterialworldpodcast/'>Instagram</a>, <a href='http://linkedin.com/company/it-s-a-material-world-podcast/'>LinkedIn</a>, and <a href='https://twitter.com/ItsAMatWorldPod'>Twitter</a>. Feel free to DM us @itsamaterialworldpodcast if you have any feedback or recommendations for future episodes or email