“The jack of all engineering trades!”
-Professor Jeffery Youngblood
A Collection of Information About the
Purdue University School of Materials Engineering
An anthology composed by A First-Year Purdue Student
Table of Contents
Useful Links………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Description of Materials Engineering....………………………………………………………………………………………2
Ethnography……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Profile: Erin Null
Senior Chemical Engineering Student……………………………………………………………………………..4
Profile: Professor Jeffery Youngblood
Associate Professor of Materials Engineering………………………………………………………………….6
Profile Bob Smith
Associate Technical Fellow, Boeing Cooperation……………………………………………………………...7
Reflection………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...10
Useful Links:
Purdue School of Materials Engineering: https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/index.html
Materials Engineer Career Explanation: https://www.collegegrad.com/careers
Materials Engineering Defined:
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Materials+science+and+engineering
Description of Materials Engineering:
Materials Engineering is the “generation and application of knowledge relating to the
composition, structure, and processing of materials to their properties and uses” (Materials Science
and Engineering , 2002). Now what exactly does that mean? Materials engineering is a boundless
discipline of engineering where you get to make, choose, and evaluate the materials that make up
EVERYTHING! It is the most necessary of the engineering field because without it the other
disciplines would have nothing to engineer with. Materials engineering combines chemistry,
physics, mathematics, and engineering in order to understand, synthesize, and apply the properties
of all materials to the things we use in our everyday lives.
So what does one do as a Materials Engineer? Since everything is made of materials,
engineering in this field will always have a purpose and there will always be a job. As a materials
engineer, you can choose 4 of the major sub-disciplines to focus on. One is metallurgy, which
involves the study of the crystalline structures, thermodynamic, and electrochemical properties of
metals. With specificity in this aspect of materials engineering you will learn to cast metals and the
making and evaluation is the most likely resulting job. The second discipline is concentrated on
ceramics and their three classifications: traditional ceramics, technical ceramics, and glasses. The
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third area to consider is polymers. These are carbon-containing long molecular chains that have a
variety of uses and properties that a materials engineer would apply or discover. The final
concentration to consider is a field of materials engineering that integrates all of other subdisciplines into one. Composites are a mixture of two or more of the above materials to reach the
goals of increasing strength, toughness, and other properties to better suit the needs of the items
being engineered. It is the broadest of the disciplines, but involves hands on activities and research.
In all fields, there are new discoveries to be made every day and that is the most exciting part of
materials engineering. Not to be too cliché, but the possibilities are endless!
If you are considering materials engineering, Purdue University’s School of Materials
Engineering comes highly recommended due to its unique characteristics and opportunities.
Purdue Engineering is nationally ranked and the engineering students are among the elite. The
undergraduate Materials engineering degree will provide students with a strong foundation,
integrated across the materials classes: ceramics, metals, polymers, etc. followed by highly involves
senior elective courses. The program offers numerous research and international opportunities as
well as small class sizes for more one-on on-one interaction. As a whole, the materials engineering
program here at Purdue will prepare you to enter the world as a highly knowledgeable and
highly demanded engineer!
Ethnography:
Class begins in five minutes. I turn the door handle to ARMS 1103 and open the door. Two
big windows let in the natural sunlight from outside into the room with black seats positioned
behind long rows of tables, all of which are facing an old-school, black chalk board. I am not the first
student to have entered the room. There are a few students, either scribbling away on notebook
paper or chatting with other classmates. I walk over to the only girl in the room at the time and ask,
“Excuse me, is this MSE 190?” She responded with a yes and probably thought I was an idiot for
asking, but I figured better to ask now than to sit in on the wrong class. I said thank you to the girl in
the purple Purdue hoodie and picked a seat in the fourth row on the far right. Students trickled in
for the next five minutes. I was astonished by the emptiness of the class. This was not nearly as
crowded as the lecture classes I was in and I could easily see all of the students. Two Asian boys
were discussing their computer programming homework with confused looks on their faces. Two
more walked in with skateboards in hand and discussing plans for the weekend. As I observed
everyone sitting, I noticed they were all in pairs. The room was still half full when the professor
walked in promptly at 3:30 and all the students silenced their side conversations. There was
obvious that there was a sense of respect from the students to the professor.
The first words to come out of his mouth are, “Man, it is cold in hear.” Then he proceeded to
set his folder down and take a seat on the table top in the front of the classroom. “I’m pretty
informal if you haven’t noticed,” Professor Youngblood nonchalantly stated before beginning
today’s lecture. Welcome to Introduction to Materials Engineering!
The purpose of this class, given by the syllabus, states “This class is supposed to be a fun,
and hopefully, useful introduction to Materials Science and Engineering. The class is geared around
some of our favorite topics, giving you all a feel for materials engineering and letting you experience
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materials engineering.” Through once-a-week, 50 minute lectures and a few hands on activities, you
will come out of this class with a well-rounded idea of materials engineering and how it is applied
in everyday life. Course grades are based on three quizzes, ten to fifteen minutes to be taken during
class, one project involving a class presentation, and lastly attendance. They are weighted 60%,
25%, and 15% respectively. The requirements for class may seem very minimal, but that says
nothing of the class itself.
Professor Youngblood is a highly knowledgeable, intellectual, and entertaining professor
which always makes for a well-rounded seminar. Beginning today’s lecture by posing questions, he
hoped to engage the students attention, “What are the most common types of ancient weapons?”
Right away someone from the third row commented and was followed by another student. The
feeling I gathered from the room was very open. In engineering, collaboration and asking questions
is the best way to generate new ideas, so his methodology is a great approach to teaching
engineering students. I felt that I could just jump into the conversation. The professor led into the
topic of the day: Swords, “the most popular stabby things in the ancient world!” according to
Youngblood. Through notes on a blackboard and various projections of visual aids, he discussed the
integration of materials and swords and the importance of choosing the correct types of steel for
the job. Starting with the beginning of human society and Damascus Steel, to Japan and pattern
welding, the professor described how the materials of the sword made a significant impact on its
capabilities. For example, high carbon steel would be too brittle, but low carbon would be to
resilient. Therefore, using various pictures and descriptions, he concluded we need a combination,
To make a long story short, he left no detail behind, and while I knew nothing of swords
beforehand, he made the information easily understood and easily followed. Each lecture is about a
different commonly used material or process, and in this case, metallurgy of swords was the main
topic. All lecture, he posed questions to encourage student interaction, and at the end, he opened
the floor for questions. The professor was relaxed, talking with his hands and smiling. After his
lecture concluded, the class carried on with one of the three quizzes in which they could be assisted
by one page of hand written notes, and when finished, they were allowed to leave.
It was obvious to me, as an observer, that the class was not only enjoyable to the students,
but to the professor as well. Students took notes and paid attention, and no one was fearful to
interject. Overall the atmosphere was highly welcoming and educational. I left feeling like I actually
learned something and I believe that’s what you should always take away from a good class.
Profile: Erin Null
Senior Chemical Engineering Student
Not only do I know Erin Null as the fabulous Resident Assistant for the girls of Earhart 6W,
but also a very knowledgeable senior in Chemical Engineering here at Purdue University. I know
that this brochure is about materials engineering, but given a chance to talk with any
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upperclassman, in any engineering discipline will yield very useful information. I felt like Erin could
give me a good perspective into what being an upperclassman entails and she was more than happy
to let me ask her some questions. I began with asking her what made her choose engineering in the
first place. “I love tinkering with things,” was her main rationale for choosing engineering and she
continued on to say Purdue’s nationally ranked programs and the in-state convenience also made
an influence on her decision. So far, the decision to pursue engineering has worked extremely well
for Erin. From the excitement on her face as she talked about her career path, I could tell she found
something she was truly passionate about.
Chemical engineering was a natural choice for Erin. “People either see the physics side or
the chemistry side, and I was definitely a chemistry person,” she exclaims and the expression on her
face clearly read that she did not enjoy physics class. On the other hand she appreciated the labs
and hand on activities of her chemistry classes, and this allowed her passion for chemistry to grow.
Early on in her pursuit of an engineering degree, Erin decided to participate in the Co-op
program. Erin gave me the advice to look into possible internships or co-ops because Purdue is
really good at job-placement. This turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for her to get into the
work field. Off to work for Citgo in Lemont, IL, Erin began her co-op at the beginning of her
sophomore year. Here, she got to work on process design piping systems and by the end of her fifth
co-op she was working as an operation engineer and got to make diesel fuel. That was a very
exciting accomplishment for her. Talking about her five-term co-op as a whole, “I was really great
for me to work and apply what I learned in class,” she describes, and goes even further to say that
working in the field helped her grasp many of the concepts in the classroom. Erin is more of a
hands-on learning kind of person and chemical engineering was a perfect opportunity to get into
the industry. Because of her co-op, she is very confident that Citgo will offer her a full-time job after
she graduates on December 11, 2011. Erin plans to put her Purdue Engineering degree to good use.
“I want to be working in an oil company or alcohol company cause the processes are very similar,”
she states, hoping for offers from places like Anheiser Busch as well as Citgo. I have no doubt that
Erin will go far in her career. She loves her career path and truly enjoyed her time here at Purdue.
The next question I had was what her favorite class has been thus far. Surprisingly, she said
dance. Who knew an engineer major had time to take dance classes? Erin took Modern Dance 2 and
3 and when asked why, she said, “It was something easy and fun for me to do and even better, it
counted as an upper level elective!” When describing her background in gymnastics and dance, it
was really cool that she got to visit those hobbies again. Also here at Purdue, Erin is a part of the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers and as I said before, she
is my lovely RA. In her spare time, Erin is a runner and has participated in two mini marathons and
successfully lost about 50 pounds. That was an amazing feat and I congratulated her on her success.
Besides running, Erin says “I like typical girly things…I go shopping all the time and spend way too
much money, and I love going to the movies.” It is refreshing to see that, even with a demanding
college major like engineering, there is still plenty of time for fun.
In conclusion, Erin Null is going to be a highly successful chemical engineer, and even
though I want to be a different type of engineer, getting her perspective was very beneficial to me.
After talking with Erin, I feel like I could accomplish a lot over the next four years at Purdue and
have tons of fun while I’m at it.
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Profile: Professor
Jeffery Youngblood
Associate Professor of Materials Engineering
When any professor enters their lecture and begins by sitting on a table, claps their hands
together, swings his feet and proceeds to say, “I’m pretty informal, if you haven’t noticed already,”
you know that you are in the presence of a very easy going, yet very knowledgeable and scholarly
professor (after all he is employed by Purdue). Professor Youngblood, Bachelor of Science in
Chemistry and Physics from Louisiana State University, Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering,
University of Massachusetts, Postdoctoral Associate in Materials Science and Engineering from
Cornell University, is a distinguished and exciting educator of materials engineering. I was given the
opportunity to sit it and ask him some questions regarding his career thus far.
I began by asking him to define Materials Engineering, and that was all it took to get him
talking. He replied with a slightly unexpected southern accent, after all he is a native of Louisiana,
“It is the jack of all engineering trades!” He explained that as a materials engineer, you assess the
properties of all types of materials ranging from plastics, to bio-materials, to metals. The two things
that make this area of study are the design aspects and the failure analysis. “Materials Engineers
must consider the 30 things that impact the bottom line,” the professor says to address his draw to
this unique type on engineering.
Professor Youngblood didn’t start off as a materials engineer, but he gained a high interest
in the field of polymers and adhesives throughout his studies. “I deal a lot with surface interface,” he
describes and goes more in-depth about the topics that became the main focus of his research here
at Purdue. Besides research, I was curious about what his feelings towards teaching were. He
responded that he quite enjoys teaching and interacting with students. When asked about his
teaching philosophy, he says that you must “learn as you teach. Keep up with the times.” Professor
Youngblood teaches mostly graduate classes as well as being a lab coordinator for some of the
undergraduate classes. He began to describe that the opportunities, technology and machinery
available to students here at Purdue is phenomenal. “We may not be able to beat Ohio, Michigan, or
even Toledo in football, but we have enough weapons to invade them any day,” he says with a
chuckle as he sips his coffee.
In regard to opportunities for students, Professor Youngblood currently employs five
graduate student who all have received grants for research. In fact, “about one-third to one-half of
Materials students go into grad school, but in other fields, such as medicine or law,” the professor
states. He describes the field of Materials Engineering to be very “broad.” Given a degree in MSE,
especially from Purdue, many doors will be opened.
After talking about his responsibilities and research projects, I mentioned he seems to be
very busy, alluding to his stories and the experiments he seemed to be running in the corner of his
office. Not many people I know keep petri dishes and disposable pipettes in their office, but
professor Youngblood has a make-shift lab bench. The professor said, with a smile, he just has to
keep an eye on his experiments. He always has things to do and places to be. All professors start out
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with brutal hours and a lot of over-time. But once tenure is reached it settles down a bit. That was
how it went for Professor Youngblood. He said he began with 80 hour work-weeks, but it has
become much less hectic. Professor Youngblood currently has a one-year old baby and wife who get
a lot of his attention and he has spare time to enjoy playing some basketball and keeping up on his
football.
Professor Youngblood is a very intelligent intellectual, and from what I gathered an expert
in the field Material Engineering, but he is also a laid back guy, easy to chat with, who thoroughly
enjoys his job. Talking with him furthered my interest in the materials from all the information he
gave me specifically about the degree. I have a better sense of what I will get to learn over these
next four exciting years.
Need a break from reading, check this out for a good laugh!
Engineering Terminologies :D
1. A number of different approaches
are being tried. (We don't know where
we're going, but we're moving.)
2. Close project coordination. (We
should have asked someone else.)
3. Major technological breakthrough.
(Back to the drawing board.)
4. Preliminary operational test were
inconclusive. (The darn thing blew up
when we threw the switch!)
5. The test results were extremely
gratifying. (It works and boy are we
surprised.)
6. The entire concept will have to be
abandoned. (The only guy who
understood the thing quit.)
7. We will look into it. (By the time the
wheel makes a full turn, we will
assume you have forgotten about it.)
8. Give us your interpretation. (Your
warped opinion will be pitted against
our good sense.)
9. Rugged(Too heavy to lift.)
10. Lightweight(Lighter than rugged.)
11. Years of development. (Finally got
one that worked.)
12. Energy saving. (Achieved when
the power switch is off.)
13. No maintenance. (Impossible to
fix!)
Profile: Bob Smith
Associate Technical Fellow, Boeing Cooperation
Bob Smith has been a family friend of
ours for as long as I can remember. I
remember seeing him at the Christmas
parties that my parents always held on the
second Saturday of December. His sons, Greg
and Stephen, and I would have intense Mario
Kart Battles, while Mr. Smith, my dad, and
numerous other Boeing employees and their
families would openly mock us. I’m sure we
were quite an entertaining bunch. But not till
recently did I discover the fascinating jobs
held by Mr. Bob Smith from his days as a
chemical engineer, to a materials engineer, to
his current title: Associate Technical Fellow
for the Boeing Corporation. Through a phone
call interview, I was able to ask him some
questions to get an insight on what the life of
a materials engineer is like.
He began at General Motors as an
overseer of the assembly line, putting his
chemical Engineering degree from UMR-Rolla
to good use. Bob was helping with prototype
bumper paints and injection molding. In
1979, the gas crisis caused lay-off within GM.
Mr. Smith was spared, but he was reassigned,
and began to report to the Materials and
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Process Development Lab. “This was my
introduction to material and process
engineering. I fell into it by accident,” he
describes.
From here on, he continued to
describe his experience in the field of
materials, taking me through the GM lay-offs,
up to his first experiences with McDonnell
Douglas (known today as Boeing). “I joined
the Material and Process Development core
group as an associate engineer working
internal research and development on
composite materials,” Bob tells me. During
this time, he became quite an expert on the
material “thermoplastic matrix carbon
composites.” Traveling was also an exciting
part of his job. Mr. Smith got to pay numerous
visits to companies all over the country and
even a few internationally. Bob explains, “One
of the high points of this period were
business trips to DuPont in Wilmington,
Delaware and to Imperial Chemical Industries
in England. I loved hearing all of the travel
opportunities. I hope that I can have chances
to travel the globe! Throughout this time his
knowledge of materials “expanded beyond
plastics and composites into the realm of
pickling, anodizing, electroplating, vacuum
metallizing, painting, electro-coating,
chemical milling and others. The ability to
expand into all fields of materials was a one of
the biggest draw to this field for me and it
was reassuring to hear that he got to continue
learning in the work field. Aiding in his
knowledge development, Boeing paid Bob to
get his Masters from Washington University,
St. Louis.
Bob Smith continues work at Boeing
to this day, after many interesting projects.
“At this point in my career I work on all
materials: metals, ceramics, coatings,
composites, elastomers, polymers, adhesives,
honeycomb core, metal finishing and many
others. Welding is a particular bane for me at
present,” he responded when asked what he
does on a daily basis. A typical day has
mornings devoted to solving troubleshooting
problems and afternoons set aside for writing
material and process specifications for shop
personnel. Overall, Bob Smith started as a
chemical engineer, but, from what I gathered,
thoroughly enjoys working as a materials
engineer.
At the end of the day, he goes home to
a wife and dog. When asked what some of his
other interests were, Bob stated, “My
personal interests are starting to change now
that the boys are leaving the nest.” He was
highly focused on his sons’ sports schedules,
but has now moved onto other things to
occupy his time. “I have more time to read
theology and goof off. Julie thinks I have
more time to finish installing the new
baseboards and painting them gloss white,”
he says with a mocking tone.
All-in-all, Bob Smith, Associate
Technical Fellow, leads an exemplar life of a
materials engineer. I aspire to have a career
like his involving travel, life-long learning,
and a family.
Reflection:
It is a nerve wrecking feeling when someone asks you what type of engineer you want to be
and you can’t conjure up a response. Let’s be honest, it’s embarrassing to say you don’t have a clue,
but in my case it was true. Before this assignment, I hated being asked that question for those
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reasons exactly; however, after this assignment, I can confidently respond that I want to be a
materials engineer. Materials engineering is chemistry mixed with math and physics, and there is
almost a guarantee that it will be not result in a desk job; thus, it is the perfect job for me! When the
School of Materials Engineering came to my Engineering 131 class to talk about that discipline, I
began to question whether chemical engineering was for me because I was so intrigued by the
information they offered. Through class observation, interviews, and profiling within the materials
engineering discipline, I discovered my perfect fit for a career path and now I can leave that nerve
wrecking, unknowing feeling behind.
One of the best attributes of this project was the observational study of an upper level class.
It gave me an idea of what upperclassman materials engineering students go through. The most
interesting thing about the observation was getting a taste of what I will study. For example, for the
class I sat in on, the topic of the day was swords! Isn’t that awesome? I got to learn about metallurgy
and how slight differences in the composition of metals can greatly impact the usefulness of a metal
for a specific purpose. The hardest part about observing the class was taking everything in at once;
the atmosphere, the students, the content, etc. but I still left feeling like I could see myself there.
That impression I gathered made the project feel applicable and meaningful to me and the
impression it made on me got even stronger by writing out the mini-ethnography. I feel the
experience helped me to make my decision to study materials engineering more confidently.
Interviews were the best way for me to see material engineers in action. Though a
professor, a student and a practitioner, I got to really see the characteristics and benefits of a
materials engineer. I learned from the professor about the research side of being a materials
engineer, as well as what my plan of study would be as an MSE student. It was cool to me that the
professor took time out of his schedule to show me the undergraduate labs. Once again, I could
really see myself there and that impression was one of the best things about this project. Through
the interview with a student, even though she was not a materials engineer, I got a good sense of
the opportunities a Purdue education can offer and many of my time management worries were
exhausted. The practitioner was most interesting to me because I was introduced to the many ways
to apply an MSE degree, from the auto industry to the air and space industry. In addition to the
information I got from the interviews, I thought the interview process itself was beneficial. It
required initiative, confidence, and professionalism which are all skills that I feel I could improve
upon. Interviewing was also a great way to get an insider’s perspective into materials engineering
and accomplish the overall purpose of the project. I feel that my audience, prospective students, will
be given a detailed idea of what it would be like to be a materials engineer.
Before this project, I had no clue what kind of engineer I wanted to be. Like any major
assignment, when I it was first given, I was not thrilled whatsoever, but each portion of this project
drew me further and further into the School of Materials Engineering. I found that the more I put
forth the effort, the more I learned. I learned interviewing skills, how to profile a subject, what the
heck a mini-ethnography is, and how to write a pretty darn good one at that. On a more personal
note, I discovered a discipline of engineering that I hadn’t considered before, and now, I plan to turn
a career out of it. In retrospect, every aspect of this project got me more excited about material
engineering and I am truly surprised that an English assignment helped me find the engineering
major suited for me. They seem like such opposite ends of the class spectrum. I found the overall
experience to be very rewarding and my hope is that you will use the information I have gathered
to decide if materials engineering is a match for you.
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Bibliography
Materials Science and Engineering . (2002). McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Engineering.
Polymer Courde Graining Image. (2006). Retrieved October 22, 2010, from The Multiscaling
Modeling Project: http://www.mpip-mainz.mpg.de/~poma/multiscale/vagelis.php
Metal Background. (2008, November 13). Retrieved October 22, 2010, from ARTC 311 M001 Fall
08: https://blogs.bgsu.edu/artc311gramsey/
California Department of Toxic Substances Control. (2007). Green Chemistry Image. Retrieved
October 22, 2010, from C4.gov:
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/pollutionprevention/greenchemistryresources/index.cfm
Richard, L. Erin Null.
Richard, L. Leslie Richard.
Smith, B. Bob Smith.
Youngblood, J. Professor Jeffery Youngblood.
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