You probably already know that an engineer is someone who applies
their technical knowledge for the betterment of humanity. A materials
engineer is someone who uses their understanding of the science of
materials to engineer a material's performance. For example, Jennifer
Fino (B.S., MatE, 2004) uses her knowledge of materials to ensure that
nickel titanium arterial stents perform as planned after implantation
in the human body.
This tetrahedron symbolizes the links between the performance of a
material and the science behind it (i.e., its properties, its
structure and the synthesis or processing of the material). In simple
terms, a materials engineer alters the three items at the base of the
tetrahedron to get the desired performance out of the material.
That desired performance may be "low environmental impact over the
product life cycle." For example, we are experimenting with different
material combinations for to extend the time before failure of the
fuel cell pictured here.
