TEDxSalem is proud to announce one of the first of our surprise speakers —
Mas Subramanian transformed the world’s color palette in 2009 when he discovered the first new blue pigment in nearly 200 years.
The world responded with wonder for YInMn Blue, a bright, electric hue. Crayola released its “Bluetiful” crayon as a celebration of his discovery. Artists have embraced the new blue, which was recently released as an oil paint by the Shepherd Color Company.
Many refer to it as Mas blue, a nod to the inventor’s name and the word for more in Spanish. Artnet.com even announced that this discovery will be chronicled in Harvard Art Museum’s pigment collection.
“I have filed a lot of patents in my life,” Mas said, “but none have changed my life like this one.”
Mas, a professor of material sciences at Oregon State University, first submitted his research to the Journal of American Chemical Society in 2009. Since then he has been featured by The New York Times, NPR, the Oregonian, Mental Floss, Quartz, Business Insider, Fast Co. design, The Telegraph, Forbes, Today, NY Mag, and even Cosmopolitan.
But Mas didn’t just discover a new blue, he discovered a new way to produce pigment for both blue and many other colors as well. YInMn blue is non-toxic, has heat-reflective properties and is set to revolutionize industries from home and auto paint to roofing.
As a young boy in India, Mas was inspired to pursue the life of a scientist by the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” which he considered one of the greatest movies ever made.
“What was fiction in the movie became reality. The movie showed a tablet-like device which resembled the iPad of today. That was amazing!”
Mas earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India and was a postdoctoral fellow at Texas A&M University. He has written several books and worked as lead researcher for DuPont Chemicals.
Mas was raised in the Hindu faith, which has had a significant impact on his life and given him values to pattern his life after.
“I consider Hinduism a “philosophy” rather than a religion. Respect is an extremely valued component of the everyday life in India.”
Mas says the values of renunciation, giving, dedication, truth and non-violence have helped him to live well and be a better person. Mas also makes a point to influence his community.
“One of my passions is to inspire young minds (both boys and girls) to become scientists.”
Mas also invites two to three local high school students to his lab at OSU each year to gain hands-on experience in scientific research.
Mas and his wife love travel and learning about other cultures and customs. They recently spent three weeks in the Australian outback learning about Aboriginal Australian culture.
Mas says travel is the best kind of education he has experienced.
“Travel gives me time to think, observe and learn new things — culture, food, history.”
TEDxSalem is excited to welcome Mas and his ‘idea worth spreading.’
Get your tickets for TEDxSalem V
TEDxSalem V is an all-day event featuring talks, performances, refreshments, lunch and a swag bag Saturday, Jan. 6, at the Salem Convention Center. Purchase tickets here. Follow us on Facebook for the most up-to-date news from our community, and check our website regularly for new information. You can also reach us at info@tedxsalem.com.