{"id":6514,"date":"2021-04-01T09:52:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-01T13:52:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/?p=6514"},"modified":"2025-08-23T18:51:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T22:51:37","slug":"marvel-just-got-real-umpi-scientist-discovers-vibranium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/2021\/04\/01\/marvel-just-got-real-umpi-scientist-discovers-vibranium\/","title":{"rendered":"Marvel Just Got Real! UMPI Scientist Discovers Vibranium"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0UMPI has made history. Its geology research members made the news public on March 5. They discovered traces of a rare, priceless substance. Scientists and Marvel fans know it as \u201cvibranium.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI led my research team on a trek through some the woods in the area. We brought tools to collect samples of bedrock,\u201d Frederick Feigel, a student seeking a geology Ph.D., said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The priceless vibranium sample displayed in Feigel’s hand.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI was dead mad we had to do it in the winter. But, my course schedules and chaotic events with my family gave me no choice,\u201d Feigel said with a laugh. \u201cI wanted samples of the limestone bedrock surrounding Presque Isle. It was for my Ph.D. dissertation. It suggests a new theory about limestone bedrock formations. By studying the samples with a new research method, I hoped for some crucial data,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Feigel said he never expected to find vibranium. \u201cOn one of the larger rock samples, I did a drill test,\u201d he said, \u201cThen, all of a sudden, as I peacefully drilled along, I heard a loud ringing noise! My small drill jerked out of my hand. In the rock, the drill\u2019s handle kept spinning. I pulled it out. Something in there made the end smash in like Play-Doh.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Feigel removed the hard substance from the rest of the rock. At first, he thought it was palladium. Like palladium, the material was shiny, silver and metallic. He still felt unsure and ran more tests. The tests went on for weeks. He began to think he had found a new element. Then Lania Irving, one of his colleagues, said it might be vibranium. The research members conducted more tests. Two days later, they found that Irving guessed right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cSince we let out the news, my phone rings off the hook!\u201d Feigel said. Vibranium is rarer than uranium. With many uses, the substance conducts very well. It weighs a third of the same mass of steel. As the name suggests, it uniquely absorbs vibration. The U.S. military owns most of the vibranium in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The sample Feigel discovered weighs 1.18 ounces. Vibranium prices increased during the quarantine. Hence, the sample would sell for over $19 million.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Feigel said he has received calls from top universities, including MIT and Cambridge. Not only schools, but mining companies ask about his findings. \u201cI\u2019m sending the vibranium sample to geology labs around the country for free,\u201d Feigel said, \u201cAnd the property value of the small section of woods I took samples from is skyrocketing to hulking prices.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Not everyone approves of Feigel\u2019s findings. An UMPI student named Janelle Berkfeild believes Feigel lied. \u201cVibranium,\u201d she said, \u201cdoesn\u2019t come from anywhere in the United States. If it did, it would have already been discovered. The only place in the world with real vibranium deposits is Wakanda. That and a few deposits in surrounding countries,\u201d she said, \u201cThis is a hoax, and here is what is really happening. Frederick Feigel stole the vibranium, and he is not donating it to research. I don\u2019t know where he got it, but I won\u2019t fall for his \u2018Lucky Rock Sample\u2019 story. He is going to sell it to Hydra!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0According to Marvel comics, Hydra is an organization for world domination. It began as a cult in ancient times. Over history, it evolved and took part in the Nazi domination in World War II. They have lost many battles, but many claim the group still thrives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Berkfeild wants other UMPI students to protest Feigel\u2019s scheme. Her boyfriend, Nathan Forge, helps her in her efforts. They have walked throughout campus, wearing Marvel merchandise and passing out fliers. The fliers say at the top, \u201cBe Like Our Heroes!\u201d The fliers claim that Hydra uses the campus. \u201cHydra has a bigger operation going on,\u201d Forge said, \u201cAnd we can\u2019t let them control our schools.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some people do not believe Wakanda exists. Feigel has frequently denied the claims that have spread through UMPI. Berkfeild and Forge still keep on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe Marvel movies are fantasy, made-up stories with made-up characters,\u201d Berkfeild said. \u201cBut they talk about real things that the elite class doesn\u2019t want us ordinary people to know.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Berkfeild hopes her efforts will turn into a nationwide movement. Many students are joining her cause. They named the actions of Feigel and his research team, \u201cThe Hydra Scandal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI didn\u2019t really take Marvel movies seriously until recently,\u201d Calvin Richarson, a full-time student at UMPI, said. \u201cBut now, I\u2019m going to do everything I can to fight against this conspiracy. Hydra better watch out, because it\u2019s going down!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many students and faculty have begun a new trend. They often wear Marvel T-shirts to campus. Throughout the library, Captain America shields, the Hulk, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Black Panther are a few of the Marvel icons the students wear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe are making lots of progress to shut Hydra down by informing one person at a time,\u201d Berkfeild said with a smile, \u201cI get so excited seeing other people wearing their Marvel merch and spreading the word. Anyone out there who\u2019s listening, please put on your Marvel T-shirts and join the movement!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0UMPI has made history. Its geology research members made the news public on March 5. They discovered traces of a rare, priceless substance. Scientists and Marvel fans know it as \u201cvibranium.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI led my research team on a trek through some the woods in the area. We brought tools to collect samples of bedrock,\u201d Frederick […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7381],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8304,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6514\/revisions\/8304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.umpi.edu\/utimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}