Sourced from a meteorite that landed in Wakanda many centuries ago, Vibranium provides the superpower in the main character’s suit, absorbing energy and redistributing it.

The drone used for transportation in Black Panther? Sure, it’s possible. The flowers that are said to take on unusual properties while basically growing in a cave? Perhaps. But what about Vibranium, the fictional metal used in Captain America’s shield that hails from Wakanda, the fictional African nation at the heart of Black Panther?

Sourced from a meteorite that landed in Wakanda many centuries ago, Vibranium provides the superpower in the main character’s suit, absorbing energy and redistributing it — a nice feature when it’s time to fight the bad guys who want to steal the precious metal.

But how far-fetched is this Vibranium?

“I’d never heard of Vibranium until I was asked to do this interview,â€� says Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Professor of Engineering Surya Challapalli, who has studied metals for 50 years. “We didn’t have Marvel comic books when I was growing up in India. But when I researched Vibranium this week, I thought, ‘Hmm, it is actually similar to utopium.’ â€�

Utopium is yet another fictional metal. Challapalli himself dreamed up the concept more than a decade ago. He first introduced it to a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ class as a way to inspire creative and critical thinking. Utopium (named for the perfect world of Utopia) would be strong, light, stiff, corrosion-free, and able to withstand fracturing and high temperatures. It would be Vibranium-ish, only much more accessible and much less expensive.

“The challenge is to determine how its conflicting properties could work together, like high strength and ductility [fracture resistance],� says Challapalli. “I would say it’s possible that someday there could be something like utopium. Not anytime soon, but who knows about the future?�

Challapalli points to recent advances in metallurgy and materials science, unrealistic concepts a few decades ago that are now reality. Things like nanotechnology and metallic glasses and quasicrystals and Kevlar and graphene.

“Some people many years ago figured out how to make steel stronger through ‘quenching,’ where it’s heated and quickly cooled,� says Challapalli. “I So maybe someone could figure out a roadmap for [vibranium]. However, it would not be naturally-occurring.�

“It’s amazing to think that nanotechnology and Kevlar are now considered commonplace,� Challapalli says. The key to making them happen? Not archaeology or rocks from outer space. It is all about ingenuity.

“Think about it. Some people many years ago figured out how to make steel stronger through ‘quenching,’ where it’s heated and quickly cooled. So maybe someone could figure out a roadmap for utopium. Unlike Vibranium in the movie, however, it would not be naturally-occurring.�

That’s one of the issues Costas Efthimiou, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ associate professor of physics, has with Black Panther. Efthimiou created a class at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2002 called Physics and Film. It became one of the most popular physics classes on campus because of the critical application of science and movies. Students showed up and paid attention.

“The movie writers would not have passed my class,� jokes Efthimiou, who watched a pre-screening of Black Panther with his 11-year-old son (he liked the movie). “I do not go to movies to say ‘Aha! I’ve got you!’ And I understand artistic freedom and fantasy. But I do think the science could have been closer to reality without changing the story.�

Like Challapalli, Efthimiou says for the sake of a little authenticity Vibranium should not be a written as a pure metal derived from an enormous meteorite.

“For one, at that size it would have obliterated the area around the crash point and have created global devastation on Earth for a long, long time. If it had to be a meteorite, though, it should have been composed of a new alloy, based on the known elements, or a mix of alloys in the meteorite with a variety of properties. Wakadians could reproduce them and stay undetected — almost. No advance in technology goes completely unnoticed from the rest of the world.�

His critique of Black Panther reminds Efthimiou of why he uses movies in his physical science classes. “It’s a great way to help students think their way through the believable and unbelievable.�

That, according to Efthimiou, is what so many people misunderstand about science. It is not static or boring. It stretches our minds. It’s what allows the unbelievable to become the believable. Through research, experimentation, and reality.

“In science, unless we do not think of something unimaginable,� says Challapalli, “we will not pursue something better. Culturally, we move from one mystery to another. That’s how our imaginations work and that’s how science works, too.�

So maybe not Vibranium. But maybe utopium? We can imagine.

Challapalli Suryanarayana, a professor of materials science and engineering, became the first Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ faculty member selected as a . The fellowship, established in 2004, is aimed at making sure that policy makers understand rapidly evolving technology, science and engineering for the better formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy.

He is among 13 fellows chosen for the prestigious assignment.

“I’m honored and humbled to serve,� Suryanarayana said. “Staying ahead of the curve in science, technology and engineering is critical to our future and I’m happy to lend whatever talents I can to make sure our policy makers have good information to make sound policies.�

As a Jefferson Science Fellow, Suryanarayana will report to the U.S. Department of State this week and serve one year engaging in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy for an office within the State Department or the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Suryanarayana will provide technical advice and lead projects in various science and technology issues that support the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary (STAS) and other bureaus and offices. He will ensure managers in these offices have the “full picture” on various science and tech issues, as well as recommendations on the pros and cons of different approaches. Following the fellowship year, he will remain available for five years as a consultant to the U.S. government on short-term projects.

Fewer than 15 JSF awardees have been chosen each year since the program began. Applicants are limited to scientists, technologists, engineers and physicians holding a tenured or similarly ranked academic appointment at a U.S. college or university. JSF awardees are selected based on their stature, recognition and experience in the national and international scientific or engineering community. They are also selected for their ability to rapidly and accurately understand scientific advancements and integrate that knowledge into federal international policy discussions.

Suryanarayana is considered a leader in his field. He has developed novel materials such as nanostructured monolithic and composite materials, improved intermetallics and (bulk) metallic glasses, many of which have applications in the aerospace industry.

In 2011, Suryanarayana was ranked the 40th-best materials scientist in the world (21st in the United States) by Thomson Reuters, which considered a total of 500,000 materials scientists in the world. The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ professor has published more than 300 academic research papers and more than 20 technical books, and sits on the editorial committees of several archival journals. He is a recipient of the Young Scientist Medal of the Indian National Science Academy, Distinguished Alumnus Award of Banaras Hindu University, and the National Metallurgists’ Day Award of the Government of India, among other awards. He is a fellow of ASM International and also of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining of London, U.K.

Prior to joining Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2001, Suryanarayana was a research professor at the Colorado School of Mines for three years. Earlier, he was a visiting professor and associate director of the Institute for Materials and Advanced Processes at the University of Idaho. From 1988 to 1990, he was a research associate for the National Research Council at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Prior to that, he held professorship and teaching positions at Banaras Hindu University in India. He has also served as a short-term visiting professor at 10 international universities.

He holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in metallurgical engineering from Banaras Hindu University in India; a B.E. in metallurgy from the Indian Institute of Science in India, and a B.S. in math, physics and chemistry from Andhra University in India.

The Jefferson Science Fellowship program is a collaborative effort between the U.S. academic community, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program serves as an innovative model for engaging American academic science, technology, engineering and medical communities in U.S. foreign policy.

Surya – as he’s called by his friends – ranked 21st among U.S. scientists.

“I am happy and humbled,� Suryanarayana said. “It means a lot to me because it is recognition from my peers.�

The 100 researchers named in the listing represent the very best in their fields based on the number of times their research publications have been cited by others, as well as the quality of their own publications.

Suryanarayana, who was fascinated by English literature during his undergraduate studies, almost became an English major. But a couple of science professors convinced him otherwise to the benefit of the science world.

“They convinced me that engineering had better prospects and that materials science was an upcoming area,â€� he said. “I am happy that I listened to them since I feel that I have a very fulfilling career. There is so much more to learn and discover that I have continued to stay fascinated by my work.”

Suryanarayana has had a distinguished career developing novel materials such as nanostructured monolithic and composite materials, improved intermetallics, and (bulk) metallic glasses. Many of these materials have potential applications in aerospace and other industries.

He has degrees in engineering, metallurgy, math, physics and chemistry. He has published more than 300 academic research papers and more than 20 technical books. Suryanarayana also is a popular educator, taking on several visiting professor invitations at such institutions as Oxford University, Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan, and Helmut-Schmidt University in Hamburg, Germany, among many others.

His proudest moment so far dates back to 1975. Indira Gandhi, the then-Prime Minister of India, gave him the Indian National Science Academy’s Young Scientists Medal, which was reserved for researchers under the age of 30 who have made significant contributions to science, technology, or medicine and hold much potential for the future.  Since then, he has earned several other awards including the National Metallurgists’ Day Award of the Government of India and fellowships including the ASM International and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in London.

Prior to joining Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in 2001, Suryanarayana worked at the Colorado School of Mines, the Institute for Materials and Advanced Processes at the University of Idaho, as the Senior Associate of the National Research Council at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and at the Banaras Hindu University. Today he continues his research, teaches and sits on several scientific journals’ editorial committees.

His advice for young scientists is simple.

“I am of the opinion that it takes time for someone to make an impact in any scientific discipline,� he said. “It’s important to work hard and in a sustained manner in one’s own specialization.�