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When we talk about human history, we refer to phases of innovation by material: The Stone Age, The Bronze Age, The Iron Age, and now.. The Plastic Age. As deemed in the Dustin Hoffman film “The Graduate”, “the future is plastics” but what does that mean for materials science and engineering?

Forgive me for a bit of a history lesson here, but it is important to understand that in the 21st century our world has formulated plastics at a rapid pace, inventing materials for war, for space, and for consumers. The first academic department to focus on these advanced materials was at Northwestern University (Chicago!) in 1955, and the first materials research society held a conference in 1973. Materials science and engineering is not only about understanding plastics, but it emphasizes 4 interconnected categories in the study of any material from plastics, to metals and ceramics.

These 4 important categories include:

1. Processing: starting with raw materials to process ready materials through physical or chemical manipulation with theory of phase diagrams, diffusion, solubility parameters, and phase transformations Example: in the case of processing natural polymer resins such as those used as a varnish for protecting surfaces of paintings or furniture, the resin comes from a sap of a tree dammar which must be collected, crystallized, then dissolved into turpentine
2. Structure: “zoom” down to the atomic structure and interatomic bonding for it’s impact on a materialExample: the intramolecular polymer chemistries can be fine tuned by manipulating variables in the polymerization reactor such as the catalyst, reaction time, comonomer, cooling flowrates, depending on the reaction type
3. Properties: design for imperfections in solids, to improve known failure mechanisms, and for any specific type of end use property requiredExample: for dental appliances that are additive manufactured (3D printed) for end-use fitting, mechanical, spatial, and optical measurements are important to ensure quality to the patient
4. Performance: design for end use requirements to ensure the materials are consistent from one product to the nextExample: for eyeglass lenses made with composite polymer materials, different production methods using chemical and energetic approaches target adhesion strength between layers, and antioxidations are added to maintain the color even as materials degrade through repeated exposure to humidity/heat cycles

Whether one is a materials scientist who develops and synthesizes new materials, and/or a materials engineer who creates new products/ systems with existing materials and/or developing new techniques for processing materials, the significance of the MSE skillset- processing, structure, properties, and performance- is imperative to our future.

It is up to us what materials we let define us, as we have been reinventing them since the stone age!

Bonnie Garmus’s text “Lessons and Chemistry” was a book I could not put down until I finished it. I related to the protoganist mainly because we both love to cook and to do research of chemistry.

The impetus to write my perspective comes in contrast to several reviews I have read on the novel.

To begin, I disagree vehemently with the critique in “The New Statesman” by Pippa Bailey who describes this novel as a “predictable…fantasy.”

As a chemist in 2024, I found the fullness and complexity of Elizabeth Zott’s character in the 1960s liberating, because Elizabeth may appear to be a strong woman on the outside- a single mom, with a full time research job and a masters degree- but inside, she is human- she needs love, support, and a job just like the rest of us. When she was at her most vulnerable after the sudden death of her soulmate (arguably), she demonstrated the agony I have felt when it feels like the world and its oppression will not cooperate with our plans and timeline. Nothing about the premature death of a partner is predictable, only an unfortunate reality some humans must face.

Another review I found inaccurate was published in the NYTimes by Elizabeth Egan, stating “feminism is the catalyst” of this novel.

My instinct was horror at the lack of feminism in Elizabeth’s decision not to continue her doctoral degree due to the environment created by her rapist at her university. Why did she not sue the university? Is it because it was the 1960s, a different time? Title 9 didn’t exist yet right? In an ideal world merit should be the only limiting factor in achieving honors in our society, or so I have been taught as a white, financially priviledged and educated female.

Thankfully I have been doing the work of unlearning, which is how I have come to learn that feminism as it is used commonly was created for white women with economic security. However, reading Bell Hook’s “Feminist Theory from margin to center” has helped me understand the limitations in describing the oppression faced by women of intersecting identities as it relates to financial and racial opportunity. Further reading of “A Renaissance of One’s Own” by Rachel Cargle reveals the complexity of intersectional feminism for a black woman in 2024.

Both the fictional character Elizabeth Zott in the 1960s and the real person Rachel Cargle in the early 2000s chose not to pursue their PhDs, even with both women having both merit and financial access to this education.

In both cases, these women have not felt safe to thrive within academia, so they have chosen a different path.

For Elizabeth, academia did not protect her from gender-based violence, and for Rachel, academia refused to protect her from intersectional gender-based and racial-based violence.

My takeaway from “Lessons in Chemistry” is that society forces women to choose between protecting themselves and achieving merit, leading to creative career solutions. The “straight and narrow path” to success is not accessible to everyone, depending on the intersectionality of their identity.

I was inspired to find my own creative career solution by starting my own technical consulting business, and I hope similar inspiration comes to other women with intersectional identities who read this inspirational fiction (that could easily be non-fiction) book.

What is a Principal Investigator (P.I.)?

In academia, the P.I. is the leader of a lab thus works to secure public grant funding, to recruite/mentor students, and to disseminate research, and of course must have a Ph.D.

Outside of academia, the role of P.I. can be held by anyone with at least a masters degree, but is not a term used regularly outside of the true crime genre of entertainment. Though I admire and respect the detective Carmen Sandeigo from early 90’s PC games, my lab coat, gloves, safety glasses, and safety shoes are quite a different look than one may imagine at first!

Using the P.I.’s academic and experiential knowledge, they are expert multitaskers, wearing several hats in various types of research experiments in multiple industries.

The top 5 of these hats include:

1. Designer A P.I. uses their expert knowledge and research to form a hypothesis to solve a problem, then designs experiments (D.O.E.: design of experiments) that provide a clear answer to prove and/or disprove their hypothesis.
2. PlannerA P.I. finds resources- funding, materials, equipment, other relevant experts- to plan out all the details related to their process of solving a problem.
3. ExecuterA P.I. follows through with execution of research and/or development, ensuring that every statistically relevant test is completed, every funding source is tracked down, and the sample preparations are consistent with the DOE.
4. Documenter: A P.I. knows there is no such thing as too much data (esp now in the age of AI), and will document every little pertinent detail that is useful to their hypothesis and experiments, such as the time of day/temperature/humidity of the moment doing a specific measurement.
5. Interpreter: A P.I. will process data and utilize various software, mathematical tools, or automation tools to interprete the results to form a conclusion and finally to advise other stakeholders on the next steps.

For complex research projects, trust a Principal Investigator (P.I.) to excel in solving your problems!

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Back when I was on my search for the “right” college/university experience, I would get a range of responses to that initial survey each admissions office would have us all fill out with our experiences and interests.

“Oh, you wrote both art and chemistry! Can you talk about that?”

My interest was not obvious to academics then, nor is my expertise obvious to most people now, so let’s break it down!

Traditionally art and science are seen as polar opposites- each using different sides of one’s brain. When I would study both topics in the same day in college, I would find my brain would physically be strained from the unique effort. At CArtLab Solutions, the art studio and the chemistry or engineering lab are treated as equally important toward achieving an outcome.

Both disciplines of art and science require an understanding of principles, which are then applied in a creative way to innovate.

Before entering either the studio or the lab, there is a certain amount of ideation that needs to take place.

• What medium(s) or material(s) do I want to use?
• What safety must be in place to do this work?
• What training is necessary for me to use certain tools?
• What is my hypothesis of how the process will guide me through the project goal(s)?

Both the art studio and the science lab are places of intense productivity and experimentation that are revisited repetitively. In the lab or the art studio, a person becomes an expert by doing something 100+ times. During this phase, one can lose track of time getting into the details of subtasks:

• Mixing a gesso or size to prime a canvas for painting
• Grinding down a pigment to bring out a hue
• Mixing paint colors to achieve a specific contrast/ complimentary style
• Making stock solutions for specific reaction chemistries
• Measuring micro-samples for analysis
• Preparing sample surfaces with energy to prepare for subsequent layer additions like coatings

The vision behind CArtLab Solutions is to create equitable innovation, which stems from respecting both the art and the science of problem solving.

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