Benedetto Marelli is a biomedical engineer by training and a materials scientist. He is an associate professor in MIT’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His work is focused on the fabrication of new biopolymers that can interact with biomolecules, living matter, and the environment. Here, Benedetto speaks with MIT President Sally Kornbluth about the advantages of using silk-based coatings in agriculture as well as for water filtration, and why being bold and creative can lead to powerful discoveries.Links:* Laboratory for Advanced Biopolymers (https://www.marelli.mit.edu/)* Civil and Environmental Engineering (https://cee.mit.edu/people_individual/benedetto-marelli/)* MIT Climate Project (https://president.mit.edu/climate-project)Timestamps:* (01:23) - The benefits of silk use for agriculture* (06:00) - MIT’s Climate Grand Challenges* (07:12) - Using silk to filter out forever chemicals* (09:31) - MIT’s Climate ProjectShow notes and transcript:https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-8-hard-facts-soft-skills (https://news.mit.edu/podcast/podcast-curiosity-unbounded-episode-8-hard-facts-soft-skills)Join the mailing list or send us feedback:https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA (https://eepurl.com/ixPQPA)