We live in an age
of materials. You've heard of the Stone Age, the Bronze Age,
and the Iron Age. We live in the Materials Age. Over the past
30 years,
designed and created materials have transformed everyday living,
the world's workplace, and the global economy. Nearly everything
we use is made of a materials
that has been modified or designed by a materials engineer
to perform better than it would without a little help from
humans.
Materials Science and Engineering is a discipline that enables
the creation and application of materials in society. So materials
scientists and engineers develop new materials and ways to
use them. Materials scientists and engineers
are interested in the interrelationships between a material's
structure and properties.
What are materials?
Materials are the basic substances that make up nearly everything we use every
day of our lives. Naturally occurring materials and engineered materials are
everywhere in nearly every industry you can think of—the automotive,
aerospace, chemical, computer, electronics, food production, apparel, and biomedical
industries—just to name a few. Computers, automobiles, buildings, cellular
phones, the space
shuttle, and artificial organs—like the Penn State artificial heart (the
Lion Heart™)—are all made up of materials.
And the list goes on and on.
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Penn State’s Materials
Program
The materials science and engineering department at Penn State is one of the
largest and best known in the world. The materials science and engineering degree
is ABET accredited, and offers undergraduate specializations in ceramics, electronic
and photonic materials, metals, and polymers. Our award-winning faculty, world-famous
in their field, provides cutting edge information and technological insight into
the field. |
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Materials can be divided into four
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Materials Scientists and Engineers
Materials make up the things we use, and materials
engineers study, design, and make materials. Materials engineers
modify and design materials to perform better than they otherwise
would. They develop new materials and create uses for them
that benefit humans. Materials engineers are involved in
the entire life cycle of materials from the raw materials
production, to materials synthesis and processing, component
design and development, manufacturing, use, and reclamation
and recycling.
If you've never heard of a materials scientist, that may
be because they go by all different titles. They are employed
at all levels in prominent industries, laboratories, and
universities world wide. |
OTHER NAMES WE
ANSWER TO:
Process Engineers
Production Engineers
Technical Sales Representatives
Research Scientists
Marketing Engineers
Development Engineers
Metallurgists
Ceramic Engineers
Metallurgical Engineers
Polymer Scientists
Polymer Engineers
Design Engineers
Quality Control Engineers
Production Managers
Plant Managers
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