Eduardo Kamenetzky, a senior research scientist at Cytec Industries, explains, "The central concept of materials science is relating the microstructure of a material to the properties you want it to have. By working with the microstructure, you can tailor the central properties of that material."

Materials scientists are generally employed by industry or in laboratories where the focus is on developing product-related technologies. But, not all ideas become products and, as a result, possessing the quality of persistence is helpful in this field. "Persistence is important," says Bob Haddon at AT&T Bell Laboratories. "You have to have a high tolerance for frustration because 99% of your experiments do not work." Barry Speronello, an engineering fellow at Englehard Corporation, agrees, "There are a dozen bad ideas for each fair idea, and a dozen fair ideas for each good idea. You sort out which ideas are worth pursuing. Most ideas break down when you look at the economics."

But when an idea succeeds, it's very gratifying. This is often what materials scientists say they enjoy most about their work-seeing an idea through from the basic microstructure research to the manufacture and commercialization of a product made of the developed material.

. . . Unites many disciplines
Materials science is one of the hottest career areas in science, but to think of it as a single career is misleading. Perhaps one reason for its popularity is that it unites applications from many scientific disciplines that contribute to the development of new materials.

Chemists play a predominant role in materials science because chemistry provides information about the structure and composition of materials as well as the processes to apply and synthesize them. Materials science overlaps to a large extent with polymer science resulting in many new polymeric materials being developed in this century.

Materials scientists are employed by companies whose products are made of metals, ceramics, and rubber, for example; they work in the coatings (developing new varieties of paint) and biologics (designing materials that are compatible with human tissues for prosthetics and implants) industries. Other applications of materials science include studies of superconducting materials, graphite materials, integrated-circuit chips, and fuel cells.

Materials science is so interdisciplinary that preparation in a number of related areas is important. "It is good to have a specialization," says Darrel Tenney, chief of the Materials Division at NASA's Langley Research Center. "But you also need to be cross-trained in a related discipline. This has been important for many years, but it is becoming critical." Good verbal and written communication skills are required since most materials scientists work in teams with people in other disciplines.

. . . Is about business
Many materials scientists were drawn to the field because they are naturally curious and always wanted to know what things were made of. "In industry, though, it is not just a question of being curious, but what you are being curious about and how it will benefit the company you work for," says Bruce Scott, manager of chemistry and materials science at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center. The field is becoming more business-driven all the time. "When I started in pre-ceramic polymers in the 1980s, people were making pre-ceramic polymers just to make them," says Gregg Zank, a senior research specialist at Dow Corning. "Now, research is much more focused so we look for specific functionalities and applications in materials." Scott says, "Aside from universities and some government labs, there are few places that still do exploratory research." Because the focus is on business, materials scientists say the emphasis of their work is on how to make materials for the marketplace more economically. Some materials scientists are employed by academia and government; however, most are employed by industry.

. . . Offers good employment opportunities
The strong link of materials science to products in the marketplace means that more job opportunities are to be found in this area than in other areas of science, resulting in a positive future job outlook. Materials science's progress is pointing the way toward improved personal economic health and a better way of life. Applications for new materials and modifications of existing materials are expected to keep the demand for trained materials scientists growing.

A materials scientist's background is varied. Although a materials science degree may open many doors, it may be safer for students to avoid early specialization in their course work. Materials scientists indicate that students should learn the basic sciences. This broad base is often obtained through degrees in physics, engineering, or chemistry. Once armed with a broad base of scientific knowledge, one can focus on more specific skills that are or will be in demand by industry.
Copyright 1994, 1997 American Chemical Society

Leah Ann Peavey, Synthetic Rubber
Leah Ann Peavey, a group leader for product development, works for synthetic rubber manufacturer DSM Copolymer, Inc. "Our customers do not sell raw rubber," she explains. "They take the base rubber and compound it, turning it into a usable material." This means mixing the raw rubber with various other materials such as carbon black, extender oil, curatives, and fillers. "Materials science," she says, "is basically the processing of different compounds."

The material Peavey works most closely with is ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer, or EPDM, which is used in roofing materials and in the auto industry for sealing components, rubber gaskets, and hoses. "Once you develop the formulation far a basic rubber polymer, you then have to examine how that polymer will perform as a product," she says. Factors such as molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, and ethylene content all make a difference in how the material can be processed.

"Another group in research and development handles polymerization. They make all sorts of variations in the base polymer," she says. "It's my job to assess the effect these variations will have on product performance." Part of this work includes evaluating how the material will process in machinery such as extruders and injection molders as well as in different curing applications like microwave or hot-air ovens. With her knowledge of polymer processing, Peavey is often the customer's resource for advice on how to formulate and process EPDM for a specific application.

Barry Speronello, Catalysts
"I always tinkered as a child," says Barry Speronello, an engineering fellow at Englehard Corporation. "I studied ceramic science and engineering. Now I work with catalysts. A person with materials science training can do a lot in catalysis, more than I was aware. Catalytic materials are overwhelmingly ceramic," he says.

"I really like the breadth of activities in which I get to participate. Some chemists work within a very narrow range, but with greater depth than I will ever have. I think I'm well suited for what I do because I like to take as broad a perspective as possible."

In his job, Speronello says he can conceive of a concept and work on that concept completely through commercial sales. "I determine the practicality of the concept and work with the manufacturing group to develop a manufacturing process. I work with customers and let them know how the product will enable them to do what they need to do better, faster, and cheaper. This way, I have the opportunity to shepherd my original conception through its useful life."