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"It's exciting and challenging work, but it may be difficult for some folks to understand just what it is that we engineers do," says Srinath Viswanathan. "Materials engineering is somewhat different from other engineering disciplines. We're involved in the initial stages of the product rather than the final stages, a period when it may be harder to visualize the end state or use of the product."

Viswanathan is on the research staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He encourages prospective students to browse the Internet in search of inspiration. "Research the web pages of technical societies. They have a wealth of information about our discipline. Better yet, seek out professors in the materials engineering department of your local university to find out what they do.

"Originally, I kind of defaulted into an engineering program. I credit one of my professors in the third year of a bachelor's five-year program for inspiring me to take it seriously enough to want to go on to graduate school."

Viswanathan's experience isn't unusual. In fact, a survey sponsored by the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society shows that networking with mentors and other role models may be the most powerful guiding force for potential engineers.

As chairperson of the Synthesis, Control and Analysis of Materials Processing Committee for the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, Viswanathan spends additional time promoting knowledge of the science and engineering of materials processing.

It was a summer internship with an engineering design and fabrication company that made an indelible impression with Bob Stevens. "They had some corrosion problems, and as a chemical engineering undergraduate, I had some of the chemical background to help out. There was a welding engineer there who took an interest in me, and was willing to mentor me."

Stevens now manages upwards of 100 people as a group leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

Carol Handwerker, chief of the metallurgy division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shares her perspective: "A solid background in applied mathematics opened more doors for me than more qualitative information and skills I acquired. I wish I knew more math!"

Handwerker has a broad scholastic background -- art history from Wellesley College, materials science and engineering from MIT, and a PhD in ceramics engineering.

Handwerker fills a mix of administrative and engineering functions. She'll periodically need to check and respond to her e-mail, answer phone calls, work on technical papers, chair meetings and assess and prioritize her next day's schedule.

Materials engineer Jacob Kleiman stresses: "You must love what you plan to do. I fell in love with the variety of subjects I'd encounter. It's a great feeling to see the practical outcome of the effort I put into solving a material problem or researching new materials. Sometimes you see immediate practical applications. Find a subject area that is exciting to you, and you'll find that the rest is easier."

Kleiman has worked in a wide range of functions -- common for engineers who may change jobs at least three or four times throughout their career. He's worked in a large corporate setting, taught as an adjunct professor and done private consulting. "A hired engineer's normal load is upward of 42 hours a week!" says Kleiman.

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