Success Stories
Next Generation Materials Scientists
August 2007
By exposing students to state-of-the-art techniques and good practices, PSU continues to provide materials engineers from the Pacific Northwest with the skills they need to stand out in a global market. Bill Wood, an MME professor, says the department’s mission is to “provide well-trained engineers to interface with local companies to fill their workforce needs.”
The department’s hands-on research projects expose undergraduate and graduate students to the type of issues local manufacturers face, so they’re prepared to address those problems once they enter the workforce. “The aging manufacturing workforce is a substantive issue,” Wood says, “because replacing skilled end experienced employees is difficult.”
MME has been working R&D on projects in tandem with local manufacturers, such as Boeing and ATI Wah Chang, a metals manufacturer. Students get hands-on lab experience, sometimes on the company’s work site. Graduate and undergraduate students have helped Boeing address the issues it faces in developing materials for sophisticated aircraft components, and the department recently worked with ATI Wah Chang to develop thermally sensitive alloys for its forging and welding operations.
The department hopes to upgrade or replace the materials science laboratory to keep it up-to-date with rapidly changing digital technology. The addition of state-of-the-art R&D tools will benefit local manufacturers, Wood says.
The success of these companies ensures PSU students will be able to participate in hands-on R&D activities at the local level.
Even though the metals and alloys haven’t changed much over the years, Wood, who received a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1973, says the advent of computer simulation has changed the pace and accuracy of materials R&D. “The equipment is digital, the data is digital, the test systems are digital. We can perform very complex processes in computer simulations, and we can reproduce precise manufacturing conditions in our lab.”
Computer simulation is a strong component of materials engineering, and students need to understand the technology as well as the physics of the materials, Wood says.
August 2007
By exposing students to state-of-the-art techniques and good practices, PSU continues to provide materials engineers from the Pacific Northwest with the skills they need to stand out in a global market. Bill Wood, an MME professor, says the department’s mission is to “provide well-trained engineers to interface with local companies to fill their workforce needs.”
The department’s hands-on research projects expose undergraduate and graduate students to the type of issues local manufacturers face, so they’re prepared to address those problems once they enter the workforce. “The aging manufacturing workforce is a substantive issue,” Wood says, “because replacing skilled end experienced employees is difficult.”
MME has been working R&D on projects in tandem with local manufacturers, such as Boeing and ATI Wah Chang, a metals manufacturer. Students get hands-on lab experience, sometimes on the company’s work site. Graduate and undergraduate students have helped Boeing address the issues it faces in developing materials for sophisticated aircraft components, and the department recently worked with ATI Wah Chang to develop thermally sensitive alloys for its forging and welding operations.
The department hopes to upgrade or replace the materials science laboratory to keep it up-to-date with rapidly changing digital technology. The addition of state-of-the-art R&D tools will benefit local manufacturers, Wood says.
The success of these companies ensures PSU students will be able to participate in hands-on R&D activities at the local level.
Even though the metals and alloys haven’t changed much over the years, Wood, who received a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1973, says the advent of computer simulation has changed the pace and accuracy of materials R&D. “The equipment is digital, the data is digital, the test systems are digital. We can perform very complex processes in computer simulations, and we can reproduce precise manufacturing conditions in our lab.”
Computer simulation is a strong component of materials engineering, and students need to understand the technology as well as the physics of the materials, Wood says.
