I live in Canada and I am considering a materials engineering degree. And I have a few questions on the topic.

• How difficult is the degree?
• Are there any materials engineering related opportunities for a non-us citizen (such as competitions or fairs)?
• Is there a job market for the degree?
• What industries can I get into with this degree?

I am also considering a degree in mathematics, statistics, and civil engineering. (Strange selection but equally interested in all) If anyone has any input it would be very much appreciated.

I'm looking to make some custom weighted clothing for myself. The common weighted fabric idea seems to be quilted pockets filled with sand, small steel beads, or other similar ideas. I was wondering if there were any very dense yet flexible materials I could layer between fabrics for a more seamless design. Not too concerned with fashion, since it will surely be awkwardly thicker than your typical clothing fabrics, but would still like to be able to bend my arm semi normally if this was fully in a sleeve.

Any thoughts? Hopefully this is somewhat of a correct place to ask this.

I am looking for a lightweight material that is reasonably priced. I want to use it for a lightweight plane.

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some career advice. I'm currently a student majoring in metallurgy and materials engineering. I expect to relocate to California soon, as my partner's specialized field is based there. I'm open to the move but would like some insights on the job market in that area, potential targets for employment, and roles that offer a good work-life balance. I've specialized in polymers but also have a strong background in analytical chemistry. My coursework has been heavily focused on metallurgy, so my experience is quite varied. All this to say, I’m open to most things. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,

I am a 2nd year chemistry PhD student in an organic materials lab. I have always enjoyed organic chemistry, mainly physical organic chemistry. In the realm of organic chemistry, you can either go to a synthetic lab or a methodological lab. Or the third option, a interdisciplinary lab. I have never been that good with physics or math. And, I am starting to realize that I need a lot more knowledge in areas such as quantum mechanics to be able to communicate with people in my field. I am open to learning but I feel like to be able to take some graduate level classes in physics; or even some undergraduate level. There needs to be a basic enough understanding of math and physics to be able to understand the higher level stuff. So, my question is, how do we bridge the gap between chemists and physicists in materials science? How do we gain enough understanding of each other’s field without having to take several classes to even begin to understand the basic stuff? I feel like this is a big issue, and I feel like there’s not much out there that helps.

i’m taking matsci classes starting next semester (thermodynamics, structure of materials, materials essentials) im also planning to minor in biomedical engineering.

exactly what can i do during my sophomore year to maximize my experience and use it fully when doing an internship? i will have lab experience but i want to be able to do just more beyond the lab setting and also have something in my resume.

my uni is thankfully very lab friendly, but i know i’ll need assistance. how did you guys build your matsci experience beyond the classroom? did you guys do your own research or team up w others to conduct it?

i currently did have some lab experience, mostly working with glass and metal, but i’m not sure how i would implement this into my resume. i really want a project that i can do by myself as i enjoy research but i don’t know where to start. any tips would be appreciated.

Hello everyone,

I'm a high school student interested in learning about material science and engineering, but I'm not sure where to begin.

I've downloaded the PDF of "Material Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 10th Edition." Would this be a suitable book for me? Or do you have any other recommendations or tips on how to get started in this field?

Thanks in advance for any replies!

For all for those with a PhD in the Materials field or something similar, where do y’all work?

Company name, location, etc would be great! Just tryna see what my future looks like.

Which path is a better option in terms of Salary and Job Opportunities?-

a.) BEng in Chemical Engineering and then do a Ms in Materials Science

b.) BEng in Metallurgy and Materials Science and then do a Ms in Materials Science.

Thank you for your advice in advance.

I may be posting in the wrong place so please redirect me if you can. I’m trying to build a small camper and I’m wondering what I should construct it out of? Should I go for just plywood or is there a better more competitive option for my needs? I’m just looking for the most cost effective option that has a good combination of strength, insulating value, and weather resistance that would be the simplest to work with. I’m considering using a fiberglass/foam composite material because of its traits and how there’s no painting or finishing necessary. Only issue is I think it’s fairly expensive for what it is. I also thought about taking thick closed cell foam and spraying it with truck bed liner like how some commercial hunting blinds are made and just adding a very simple subframe from wood. What do you all think?

Hey everyone! Does anybody know why I got two slopes in my stress vs deformation curve? I tested some flax fiber reinforced with polyamide matrix samples under tension test, I always got the same behaviour.it shows two linear region, different slopes

How could I compute the elastic module in this case?

currently going into my sophomore year of college and i’m curious on internships and exactly what matsci students do? the field is so broad but i can’t help but think it might be difficult to find internships that are based on the fundamental aspects of science.

is it mostly research? what did you look for when you started to apply? was your resume matsci filled already?

I've put a similar post about this up before, but why is it harder to find sustainable metallurgy research in the US than in europe? I live in the US and want to do my phd here most likely, but its just hard finding a good amount of groups that do that kind of research.

i didn’t think i’d ever go for mse as a major and my whole life decided on smth like ece, which i ended up disliking so much.

i don’t know why but i find matsci so interesting. i’ve always loved doing research in general which is why i like it, but i can’t seem to pinpoint the exact reason.

im only going to be an upcoming sophomore in college so barely took anything but i love learning about dislocations and the fundamentals stuff. i can read pages and pages about how the percentage of a material can affect its lattice structure for another material for some reason. i just don’t know why and for some reason i feel like i need to know why, because this major was the last one i’d choose a year ago.

so kinda of just questioning but why do you guys like matsci? maybe i can know myself better by reading thru some responses :)

Out of curiosity, how did you first hear about materials science/engineering? And what personally led/inspired you to get into this field? Thanks!

Hey all,

What might I expect using a higher molecular weight Polyethelyne Glycol in a mix?

Full story - I’ve been having fun making at home playdough with my daughter, getting her interested in STEM. We started with the basic flour/water/salt mix and, once I realized I had many ingredients from my soap making to show her how to make hypotheses and test different ideas, we started introducing other ideas.

One area I’m not sure to expect, myself, is what different molecular weights of PEG might have on something like this. I was intending to use it as both a surfactant (to keep the oil from splitting from the dough) and as a humectant.

The thing is - I have very wild ranges of molecular weights in the “lab”. Some very light weight PEG 40 (hydrogenated castor oil) surfactant I use in soap making to miralax at 3300. The actual patent for playdough uses a 1500 hydrophilic.

When choosing a molecular weight for something like PEG, what does a material scientist consider? I’m going to test both, since it’s interesting to me, but I’d love to understand more about the decision making process that goes into something like that. Thanks!

Does anyone know of any paid trainings that teach AI in Materials Science for those who have an MSc. in materials science and engineering? Preferably it be remote too.

With respect to the oil and gas industry. Specifically I was looking at the Aramco process engineer job requirements and it said chemical engineer 😭 im doing material engineering sooo...

I tried to make a hot melt wax coating for outdoor application.
I made a 50:50 wax : flour solution and applied it outside.
after a while the flour started to separate from the wax and pop out of it in this round form.
I applied some of the solution in direct sunlight and one in the shade and the phenomenon didn't occur in the shade (on a very hot day).
I suspect it has something to do with the cooling ratio of the wax.
as I can't always avoid applying it in direct sunlight, I'm trying to find solutions for this phenomenon.

Any ideas would be appreciated!

https://preview.redd.it/bpiantayp8cd1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dced5de2e83d31ce66d577b39dd7f97a49abc8c5

Hey I’m a rising junior in hs currently and I just wanted to get some advice from people in the industry like you.

I love robotics and find things like physics super interesting and I’d love to spend my life just innovating etc.

The obvious choice that everyone’s been telling me is mechanical engineering as if I’d like to move over to another engineering major, meche has a lot of similar course reqs.

But now I’ve stumbled on materials engineering 😅. It seems like the exact same thing I was looking for in meche.

So then it comes down to career opportunities. Does materials engineering open the same type of doors as mechanical engineering?

I want to make a conductive coating/covering for a leaf. I've tried adhesive silver fabric, but it was too think. Graphite is promising but I need more tests.

Are there any materials that I can apply to a leaf, keep the leaf alive, and make it a conductive surface?

https://preview.redd.it/e6j8on4lzvbd1.jpg?width=1078&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0363e22c9d1d35af484e3272f450c7603d4e5255

i've got this toothbrush from the hospital, the material is it made of its so cool, just wondering to know what it is called ?

I'm currently a senior Computer Science and Applied Math major with a focus on bioinformatics, and I've realized that I don't really like computational research very much. I'm in a synthetic biology club at my university that worked on biomaterials, and I was able to work on both the drylab and wetlab teams for the year. During that, I realized that I enjoyed physically making a product much more than just coding in front of a screen. I really don't want to be stuck in front of a computer screen for the rest of my life, and my research and the club has really sparked an interest in Material Science, especially where biomaterials and tissue engineering is concerned. The issue is, I don't really know how to get into the field since I don't have any chemistry classes outside of Chem 1 and 2, and I only have Genetics and MolBio which unfortunately are pass/fail due to my uni's mandatory policy during COVID. I really wish that I had done something like a Material Science/Chemistry double major, but it seems like it's impossible outside of me simply doing another undergrad which I simply cannot do. I've looked into Masters programs, but my lack of chemistry and physics would preclude me from admissions entirely. I'm really at a loss as to what to do. In the past, I considered a Computational Bio Ph.D. but it would only pigeonhole me into typing at a desk for the rest of my life. I want to actually be part of making a physical product but it just seems impossible given my major choice. Is there any path that anyone can think of or should I just suck it up and get used to just coding forever?

The fabric was described as looking like black silk. Holds up to heat, let’s air through and keeps water out. Used on snowmobiles?

I’m looking to find it to be used on car hood vents so it would need to withstand the heat and keep water from the engine, but also allow heat to escape the engine bay. Anyone familiar with something like that?

I have heard that quality control jobs might be suitable, but idk.

I've just finished my third year studying for an MEng in MSE and have the option to select a 4th year project related to thermoelectrics (and semiconductors), spintronics or materials for energy storage. Any guidance on which of these industries has the most job prospects and which pays the best would be great. Thanks :)

Hi Everyone, I am a rising senior physics and math major at an undergraduate liberal arts college and am starting to compile a list of grad schools I am looking into. I am hoping to do a PhD in materials science but am unsure if that will work because my college does not offer a materials science degree program.

Does anyone have any advice for me?

Has anyone else followed a similar path?

Does anyone have any tips on how I can successfully adjust to materials science given that I will have only taken one "intro to materials science" course before I begin grad school?

Should I just stick with physics given my circumstances?

thx

Hi! I'm looking for the best sheet material to use for my work. I'm hand-mixing glitter into medical-grade silicone to inject into custom prosthetics. Because I'm working with color, the material surface needs to be white or white-ish.

I've been working on a painted white aluminum sheet, which is great for wear-resistance, but it can get static-y, which is a pain when pouring glitter out. The silicone also binds to the aluminum really well and is hard to clean when the silicone cures.

I also have a UHMW sheet, which is great because it's so slippery and cured silicone clean-up is easy, but it gets even more static-y than the aluminum sheet, making it hard to work on. I was told anti-static UHMW is only available in black. Is this true?

I have a small white Teflon sheet sample, which seems great, but not sure how much anti-static properties it has. When I rub it on carpet, it seems like it is static-y.

Any advice?? Is there an anti-static material I could put underneath UHMW or Teflon?

Thank you!!