ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | APRIL 2024 20 The field of materials engineering plays a critical role in technological advances and solving sociocultural problems in the 21st century because it is vast, extremely diverse, and vitally important to our life and well-being[1-2]. However, the general public often attributes these technological contributions to other disciplines[2-3]. Within the field of materials science and engineering, it is widely accepted that materials have been vital to the development of civilization and technological advances. Major periods of the prehistoric era are named after the materials that were used to advance and improve the lives of humans: the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the Iron Age. Researchers in the field of economics, the social sciences, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education have stated that in order for the United States to continue to be globally competitive, it needs to ensure success in diversifying the availability of a STEM workforce[4]. The fact that changing demographics in the United States population will likely exacerbate the loss of talent in the STEM fields is cause for concern. For example, in 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that women made up 50.5% of the U.S. population[5]. The U.S. Census Bureau also projects that over the next 40 years, the country will continue the trend of becoming a more racially and ethnically diverse society[6]. However, these demographics are underrepresented in most STEM disciplines[4]. Undergraduate STEM education is necessary because it provides students with foundational knowledge and work skills that contribute to creating a stable economy. Graduate STEM education is important because it further develops critical thinking skills and produces innovators who contribute to the global economy and influence social growth[7]. Economists argue that continuing to produce adequate numbers of doctoral recipients in science and engineering is vital to economic growth and technological progress. They further state that a highly skilled workforce with graduate-level training is vital for finding innovative solutions to many of the greatest challenges facing the nation[7]. What is the challenge that metallurgical and materials engineers must address to develop the workforce required to effectively address society’s need for technological advances for the 21st century and beyond? It is necessary to reimagine how to build and maintain a pipeline for materials scientists and engineers that is more in line with the demographics of society. Thus, it is imperative that the nation’s metallurgical and materials engineering educators work together BEST PRACTICES FOR GROWING A DIVERSE MATERIALS SCIENCE WORKFORCE For the U.S. to remain competitive in industry, materials science and engineering fields must find ways to increase persistence, reduce attrition, and successfully increase diversity in the STEM pipeline. Viola L. Acoff,* The University of Mississippi *Member of ASM International Viola L. Acoff presented the 2023 ASM/TMS Distinguished Lecture in Materials & Society, “Reimagining the Development of a 21st Century Workforce to Address Society’s Need for Materials Engineering and Technology,” at IMAT 2023 in Detroit.
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