Dialogue with Emerging Engineers
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FEATURE
Dialogue with Emerging Engineers Kristin Wenzen, The Ohio State University
© ASM International 2020
Kristin Wenzen is a senior materials science and engineering major at The Ohio State University.
What do you find most interesting about the field of materials science and engineering? My favorite way to describe materials science and engineering is “being the engineers for the engineers” because knowing the ins and outs of a material before it is put to work is so critical to the actual application. I think it is fascinating how heating a material up and cooling it down just a little bit differently can completely change how it behaves. As I’ve progressed through my courses, I’ve found myself being able to explain why things look and act certain ways, like why my measuring cup looks cracked but it really isn’t, and why my hair ties stretch and twist without breaking.
What initially drew you to major in materials science and engineering? Had you already settled on this major, or did you come to it partway into your undergraduate degree? I started out in engineering without knowing which discipline I wanted to go into. I didn’t have a specific idea of where I wanted to go with it, and so on a whim I attended an information session on materials science and engineering. I was immediately intrigued because of how diverse it was, because why master one kind of engineering when you could be capable of them all? With so many options within one major I knew that I could never get bored.
“Materials science has made so many things possible, from the fabric of your favorite tennis shoes to the infrastructure of your workplace. Since the scope of materials science is so large, its accomplishments are woven into just about every facet of life as we know it today, making it safer, more durable, and more efficient.” – Krisn Wenzen
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Were you always interested in science and engineering from an early age, or it something that you came to at some point in your education? Growing up about 30 min away from the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, one of the most notorious engineering disasters in the United States, I was practically raised on engineering. I would take field trips to museums with pieces of the bridge, and it was a recurring topic in science classes. I have always loved science and taking things apart and putting them back together again, and I think it ended up translating into wanting to be an engineer once I got older. Now, when I cross the Narrows, I have a greater appreciation for the engineers that made it possible.
What would you like people to know about materials science that most currently do not know? I like to tell people that materials science and engineering can be thought of as the “jack of all trades” of engineers. It’s not just limited to construction, which is what everyone seems to picture when they think of engineering, but it’s everything. Materials science has made so many things possible, from the fabric of your favorite tennis shoes to the infrastructure of your workplac
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