The Grand Finale
All good things must come to an end.
How come my fingers are wet and sticky? What was that thing covered in?! These are a couple of questions one might ask themselves when they grab onto a brand new product, like a car part for example. This wet sticky stuff is oil, and coated the car part, why? To stop rusting and keep this part fresh for a long time. This is done because a material scientist said to make the car part out of some form of steel somewhere along the road. I learned just how important material science is, and why it is a great career choice for me in this blog.
Material science is around everyone all day long, it might not be noticeable, but it is. It’s in our loved cell phones, cars, shoes, houses, and everything else we love to have the luxury of owning. At some point, someone had to make decisions about what materials to use in all of these products. Many breakthroughs in material science aren’t even acknowledge very much, and yet these breakthroughs play a huge part in our lives. Throughout this blog project I’ve found multiple news articles that discussed new discoveries that I never would’ve found out about unless I was searching for them.
Some websites like Science Daily, MIT, and Phys Org were very helpful in my research. I discovered that a group of MIT professionals discovered steel that was bonding itself when pulled apart, and not actually coming apart. This could be used to stop major structures from breaking down before they even start breaking. Another article talked of magnesium being extracted from the ocean, which could be used in future car production to make stronger, lighter, and more efficient cars. I found this quite interesting and more information can be found in my blog. A recent post of mine talked about a new wood based fiberboard that is currently going from prototype to product that would replace a current wood base fiberboard. The new fiberboard is easily recyclable, while the old fiberboard is not recyclable at all and used in the production of much wooden furniture. This would largely cut down on resources used in the production.
This blog also exposed why this is a good field for me. I always thought it was but didn’t do enough research to really find out. I got to interview my dad about his experience in the metallurgy field, talk about my work experience that I’ve had already in this field, and find out the traits that it takes to do this job. A person must be very persistent in order to be successful in this profession. Many times when you’re trying to figure something out it won’t go as planned, and you have to be able to stay calm. Luckily, I’ve developed these traits as I’ve gotten older, and can only imagine that they will continue to grow as I do.
This field is something that is involved in everyone’s daily lives, and most people don’t even know it. No one that I know wonders, “Hm, I wonder why they chose to make this piece of drywall this way?” Drywall is a lame example, but it gets my point across. For someone like me who wonders how something is made, or what it is made of this is a great profession. It also can be very applicable to anyone who wants to try and improve on products, since at any point in time a material scientist has potential to create a totally new material, even if it is by accident!
"New recyclable MDF could help solve UK waste problem." Phys Org. 1 Nov 2013. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
Chandler, David. "Cracked Metal Heal Thyself." MIT. MIT, October 9, 2013. Web. 18 October 2013.
"Fuel-Efficient cars, planes cheaper with magnesium drawn from ocean." Phys. Pacific Northwest National Labratory, September 20, 2013. Web. 22 September 2013.
