kelper

I'm really interested in improving the performance of materials in society, to make them stronger, pliable, etc. But from what I've researched in material engineering, it seems like material engineers focus mainly on metals and ceramics. Metals and ceramics seem boring to me.

I'd like to be involved in the engineering of other materials like fabrics, like Goretex. I think it's interesting to improve the performance of fabrics, to make them lighter, breathable, more water-resistance, etc. This sounds stupid, but when I was small I always wanted to make some light, stretchy body armor that could repel bullets so I could be a superhero.

RacinReaver

If you're interested more in polymers (materials like Goretex) you might want to look at chemical engineering or a materials science with a very strong polymer engineering department.

Materials is typically based upon metals, since most materials departments grew out of metallurgy departments. I think it's actually a good thing, since metals are kinda the "idealized" material. There's many which are fairly simple and are what people originally studied when developing various theories for material behavior.

I'm sure most any MSE department out there will have some faculty members which specialize in polymers, so if you're interested in doing research with them there would be the opportunity there.

Most of my friends in undergrad didn't ever want to touch metals, and they were able to find projects that made themselves perfectly happy. Semiconductors and electronic materials may be mostly based in ceramics or metals, but you can be sure the focal points of their research are quite different your typical metals-based research lab.

aibarr

xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe
Why I really became a structural engineer.

Never be ashamed of your dreams.



*I totally *will* have that treehouse someday...

ChamilitaryMayne

"Everything Americans use is composed of materials, from computer chips to flexible concrete skyscrapers, from plastic bags to artificial hips, from fiber optical cables to automobiles. Materials science and engineering makes these materials reliable and useful through design, processing and analysis of controlled compositions, microstructures and properties."

The undergraduate specialties are Biomaterials, Ceramics, Electronic Materials, Metals, Polymers