Future in Materials Science and Engineering

 

Future in Materials Science and Engineering

Matthew Javier Lee – 12 Science 2

         Have you ever thought, when a natural disaster occurs in Indonesia, we can build houses as temporary shelters for the victims quickly, safely, and cheaply? Or have you ever wondered how an airplane with tons of metals and aluminium could fly up to 30 000 feet in the air? Or how a component of the computer you are using is designed? Some of us may still be guessing. Did you know that all of that is very closely related to Material Science and Engineering? Furthermore, we were going to talk about this major and why it is mandatory for us to focus on it.

           When we wake up, we start our activities by brushing our teeth. The toothbrush that we use is made of certain materials. The toothpaste is made of certain materials. Before leaving for work, we have breakfast. The cutlery that we use, plates, spoons, and forks, is also made of certain materials such as plastic, ceramics or other materials. Unconsciously materials are more significant in our culture than we realize. It has made great contributions to the advancement of various technologies, including medicine and health, information and communications, homeland security and space, transportation, structural materials, art and literature, textiles, agriculture, and food science (Ashby, M. F, and D. R. H. Jones, 2005). Hence, these interdisciplinary interactions between the Material sciences and other fields in developing new materials and their applications must be understood well. As we know, technology will never stop evolving. Thus, the contribution of materials science and engineering to other disciplines also increases. For example, aerogel is considered as the lightest solid in the world. It is a silicon-based substance made from a silicon with the water component replaced with gas (Thomas G, 2012). This makes aerogel as hard as iron but also as light as air. For the past several years, aerogel has been starting to become a must-have material in the insulation industry. It has been used for several years by Nasa in its aircraft components and space suits because it is extremely strong, and by the reason of its lightness, it can survive take-off conditions easily (Dunbar B, 2015). Aerogel is one of many materials that will provide a more developed technology for our society. Quoted from the professor in Monash University, "Materials engineering is the crucial steppingstone to innovation, allowing us to push technological boundaries. It's a relatively new field of engineering that in a world focused on sustainability and will only continue to grow." Therefore, it will become necessary for us to understand it better

           The material department alone sounds unfamiliar to our ears, especially when we discuss about advanced materials. Advanced Materials are modifications of existing material types to access superior performance on one or more characters (Habimo R, 2018). In this case, if an advanced material is processed correctly, a more significant and outstanding value will be produced. In Indonesia itself, the need for this type of material is substantial. Especially with President Joko Widodo target for making Indonesia a developed country within ten years in the future. Advanced Materials will become the most critical part to support the manufacturing industry in Indonesia, and it is included in the eight focuses of science and technology development (Habimo R, 2018). Although this advanced material industry is very much needed, Indonesia has not been able to manage basic materials into and advanced materials. One such obstacle that has always been an issue for our country is the lack of human resources. That is why the major in this type of engineering is very needed to learn for the future.

           There are smaller numbers of materials engineering graduates than other engineering majors, which makes a strong need from industry and research for these people, which means that most of the students from materials engineering get good jobs in their final year. Careers in materials science and engineering can provide a lot. Not only becoming a professional engineer, but you can work in various fields (CollegeGrad, 2019). For example, if you have a passion for the medicine and health area. You could contribute by making a new material that could reduce radiation in the MRI room. By creating that, it will make a safer environment in the hospital. As time goes by, a lot of things will be more developed. Like I said earlier about the relations between materials with every different field, graduates from this major will be an essential asset in the future.

           To conclude, it is no doubt that this study is a very much needed subject in the future, and we must learn it from now. Not because it is unique, but we found everything that relates to material, and it is compulsory for us to know about it. Also, the potential that it has is very tremendous because advanced material will become the beginning of the development of breaking through technology years ahead. Finally, there are still not many people who are material graduates. So, this major will lead us to a higher career than other majors because of its flexibility to work in any type of field. 

References:

Six Reasons to Study Materials Science and Engineering. (2020, February 23). Retrieved from https://www.monash.edu/engineering/departments/materials/future-students/future-undergraduate-students/six-reasons

Ashby, M. F. and D. R. H. Jones (2005). Engineering Materials 1: An Introduction to Their Properties and Applications, 3rd e

Pandey, S. P., & Singh, V. (2017). The Importance of Engineering Materials in Present World, 1-9.

Brandon. (2021, August 15). 13 Reasons Why You Should Study Materials Science and Engineering. Retrieved from https://msestudent.com/13-reasons-why-you-should-study-materials-science-and-engineering/

B. Del Curto (2009) THE IMPORTANCE OF MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES IN DESIGN, INTED2009 Proceedings, pp. 1790-1797.

Habimo, R. (2018, August 10). Material Maju Masa Depan Teknologi Indonesia. Retrieved from https://www.kompasiana.com/raffa329/5b6da7506ddcae2cc873ac42/material-maju-masa-depan-teknologi-indonesia

CollegeGrad. (2019). Retrieved from https://collegegrad.com/careers/materials-engineers\

Webmaster Team, D. S. (n.d.). Program Studi Sarjana Teknik Material -. Retrieved from https://www.itb.ac.id/program-studi-sarjana-teknik-material

Thomas, G. (2012, July 08). What is Aerogel? Theory, Properties and Applications. Retrieved from https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6499

Dunbar, B. (2015, April 15). Aerogels: Thinner, Lighter, Stronger. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/aerogels.html