The University of Tennessee’s Science Minute podcast, hosted by local radio icon Hallerin Hilton Hill, released an interview with Dayakar Penumadu, UT’s Fred N. Peebles Professor and the Chair of Excellence at the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (IAMM), as part of the podcast’s series focusing on research being done at UT.
During the conversation, Penumadu retraced his journey to UT—from admiring his father’s civil engineering work in agricultural India to completing his third graduate degree at Georgia Tech. He emphasized his devotion to improving his community and highlighted the importance of research and outreach in engineering.
Penumadu also discussed his passion for pushing the boundaries of established technologies. He outlined three of his current material engineering projects, which have the potential to significantly improve road infrastructure, rubber manufacture, and the production of carbon-fiber automobile components.