I as an engineering student at Michigan State University am currently majoring in materials science engineering. Now a lot of people may not know what a materials science engineer is and or does, and many people probably haven't even heard of this type of engineer. This major requires a lot of math and science, a lot like the other engineering majors. Materials science engineering is the study of all the materials we see around us every day. It's basically the study of what everything is made of.
What do materials engineers do? Materials engineers work with many different types of materials including metals, alloys, polymers/plastics, ceramics and composites. Materials engineers may sometimes get help from other professionals such as plastic engineers, metallurgists, ceramists, process and quality control engineers, and many others. They develop, test and look at materials that are used to make a mass of different products, from tennis rackets to computer parts. Materials engineers choose different materials for different things based on the strength, and properties, like how they conduct heat or electricity, for what preforms best for the thing that is being produced.
What it takes to become a materials engineer? Really enjoying mathematics and science is key to becoming a materials engineer. Materials engineers must have a bachelor's degree in materials science or engineering. Different companies and employers look for engineers with a little experience, like those who have taken different engineering programs. Employment for this field has had little to no change from 2012 to now 2015 and is projected to have little to know change from now until 2020. Materials engineers are needed for various jobs such as normal industries and industries who are concentrated on new scientific products.
Materials engineering is really an interesting way to use science and mathematics, and I'm very excited to learn more and eventually get a job in this field.
-Alex Brown
-Alex Brown
Sources:
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/materials-engineers.htm>.
"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/materials-engineers.htm>.
"What Is Materials Science and Engineering?" Monash University Engineering. Monash University, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <http://eng.monash.edu.au/materials/about/>.
"What Is Materials Engineering?" Materials Engineering. Purdue University, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2015. <https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/AboutUs/WhatsMaterials/index.html>.
I had not heard of Materials science engineering before I read your article. The name implies what the major could be but I wasn't aware that Material science involved almost everything and what the materials are made of. I think material science, engineering would be a very interesting major if math was not such a heavy requirement.
ReplyDelete- Mark T