March_AMP_Digital

4 / 62

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A R C H 2 0 1 5
4
ASM International
9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073
Tel: 440.338.5151 • Fax: 440.338.4634
Frances Richards,Editor-in-Chief
Julie Lucko, Editor
Jim Pallotta, Creative Director
Kate Fornadel, Layout and Design
Annie Beck,Production Manager
Press Release Editor
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Yu-Ping Yang, Chair, EWI
Jaimie Tiley, Vice Chair, U.S. Air Force
Research Lab
Mario Epler, Past Chair, Carpenter
Technology Corp.
Craig Clauser, Board Liaison
Kathryn Dannemann, Board Liaison
Laura Addessio,PCC Structurals Inc.
Arvind Agarwal, Florida International
University
Gerald Bruck, Siemens Westinghouse
Power Corp.
Steven Claves, Alcoa Inc.
Adam Farrow, Los Alamos National Lab
Nia Harrison, Ford Motor Co.
Alan Luo, The Ohio State University
Roger Narayan, UNC-NCSU
Somuri Prasad, Sandia National Lab
Fei Ren,Temple University
Kumar Sridharan, University of Wisconsin
ASMBOARDOF TRUSTEES
Sunniva R. Collins, President
Jon D. Tirpak, Vice President
Craig D. Clauser, Treasurer
C. Ravi Ravindran, Immediate Past President
Iver Anderson
Kathryn Dannemann
Mitchell Dorfman
James C. Foley
Jacqueline M. Earle
John R. Keough
Zi-Kui Liu
Tirumalai S. Sudarshan
David B. Williams
Terry F. Mosier,Secretary and
InterimManaging Director
STUDENT BOARDMEMBERS
Virginia K. Judge, Anthony Lombardi,
Myrissa N. Maxfield
Individual readers of Advanced Materials & Processes may,
without charge, make single copies of pages therefrom for per-
sonal or archival use, or may freely make such copies in such
numbers as are deemed useful for educational or research
purposes and are not for sale or resale. Permission is granted
to cite or quote fromarticles herein, provided customary
acknowledgment of the authors and source is made.
Do you enjoy sitting around a table with friends or col-
leagues trying tosolve theworld’sproblems? I find it to
be one of life’s greatest pleasures. Case in point: Just
yesterday, a group of us from the ASMCleveland Chapter en-
joyed lunch before helping judge the Northeastern Region-
al Science Fair at Cleveland State University. The Cleveland
Chapter awards $1000 worth of prizes to the best materi-
als-related projects. Our lunch discussion revolved around
how to get kids more interested in STEM fields, and how to get younger workers in
general more involved inmanufacturing.
We had fairly diverse opinions at our table. Some of us had volunteered at
different educational programs such as science camps and career days. These
folks find it inspiring to work with the kids who seem genuinely interested in sci-
ence as a potential career. Others had worked with younger people in industrial
settings and decried the lack of ambition among this set. Some gave examples
of 20-somethings who just couldn’t show up to work on time or pass a drug test,
or quit after only a few weeks. These weren’t minimum wage jobs either. Many
positions had starting wages of $20 to $40 per hour. With hundreds of thousands
of well-paying manufacturing jobs unfilled and
an aging workforce, it’s hard to know where the
“disconnect” is.
Our group had no shortage of theories. Is
it the parents’ fault for not instilling a love of
math and science in the early years? Too many
video games and princess toys rather than
LEGOs? Perhaps it’s the fault of middle school
teachers for not making math and science more exciting? In high school, we
thought maybe it was the guidance counselors not pushing enough people into
vocational training rather than four-year degrees? We talked about some other
countries as well, notably Germany and its apprenticeship programs. Not every
kid is “college material,” but that doesn’t mean the less academic types can’t
earn a good living as an auto mechanic, welder, CNC machine operator, or other
such job.
It seems these days that STEM education is all over the news. However, not
everyone has the ability or interest to excel in math and science. Schools, teach-
ers, and parents can do everything in their power to promote these fields, and
some kids may bite—likely the same kids who would have had a natural inclina-
tion toward these fields in the first place. But what about the kids we know who
“hate math” or simply aren’t good at it, despite the best efforts of the adults
around them? I think these kids should also be told there is a place for them in
society. Growing up, I remember junior high and high school career days where
we were taught that all work has value to society. This seemed like a comforting
message at the time and I believe it’s worth repeating. If you have thoughts on
these matters, we’d like to hear them.
“You can lead a horse
towater, but you can’t
make it drink.”
—English proverb
JUST SAYING