A heat transfer scientist walks into a bar…
…and says, ‘I’m just here to dissipate some energy!
Turning Plastic Heat Blockers into Heat Conductors
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Doors open @ 6pm, presentation starts at 6:30pm
Abandoned Building Brewery
142 Pleasant Street, #103a, Easthampton, MA
- What are plastics, and why are they everywhere in modern life — from laptops and microchips to medical wearables?
- What if plastics could release heat instead of holding it?
- Could computers and microchips made with plastics run cooler, faster, and safer?
- Could the same plastics in our clothes make medical wearables and sensors safer and more comfortable to wear?
Professor Yanfei Xiu joined the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department at University of Massachusetts Amherst as an assistant professor in 2019. She became an adjunct assistant professor in the Chemical Engineering Department in 2020 fall. Before joining UMASS, from 2013-2018, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was active in pursuit of turning polymer insulators into heat conductors. Before joining MIT, from 2011-2013, she passionately pursued GENIUS research funded by European Commission — printable organic electronics, and secured Marie-Curie Fellowships with major European institutions and companies, including the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Humboldt University, University of Cambridge, Italian National Research Council, Université de Strasbourg, and the headquarters of BASF SE. From 2013 to 2015, she was appointed an associate professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. She received Ph.D. in Chemistry from Nankai University, where she was awarded “Top 100 Most Influential Scientific Researchers in P. R. China (among all fields)”.
Bring a friend and join us as we enjoy lively conversations, prizes, and brilliant minds. Light refreshments will be available outside the presentation room, first come, first served.
ABB allows guests to bring outside food into the establishment: please feel free to bring food if you’d like to!
This is an inclusive, family-friendly event for people from all walks of life (ALL are very much welcome: kids, college students, your parents!). We promise, you'll learn something if you come. And hey, you might even win a prize! Remember... Admission is FREE!
Visit scitechcafe.org for all the info.
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