Materials engineering is the field of study that examines all the materials around us and develops materials with new functionalities. It plays a pivotal role in various industries—such as semiconductors, batteries, and medical materials—and drives innovative technological advancements.
When I entered college and met people around me, I was always asked what my major was. When I replied with a relatively familiar department name, such as Electrical and Electronic Engineering or Chemical and Biological Engineering, people would respond with a simple “Oh, I see.” However, when I said “Department of Materials Engineering,” a look of confusion would appear on their faces, and they would ask, “What do you study there?” or “Is it something to do with food ingredients?” In such situations, students often struggle to find the right words to explain, so they brush it off with phrases like “It’s a field that studies semiconductors” or “It’s a department that develops new materials”—using terms the other person is likely to have heard before. This is an experience that any student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering has probably encountered at least once.
The reason it’s so difficult to clearly explain what the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is all about is that the scope of “materials”—the core of the research—is incredibly broad. The “materials” referred to here range from substances humans have used since prehistoric times, such as stone, wood, copper, and iron, to materials found in everyday items like smartphone displays and semiconductors. Even the bones, teeth, and skin tissue that make up the human body fall under the category of materials. In other words, materials engineering can be described as a discipline that studies all substances existing on Earth.
Materials engineering is denoted in English as “Material Science & Engineering,” and as the name suggests, it is a field that explores both scientific and engineering aspects—a unique characteristic that distinguishes it from other engineering disciplines. Materials possess their own unique properties. The scientific aspect of materials engineering involves using the natural sciences to investigate why these properties—such as electromagnetic properties (e.g., electrical resistivity and magnetism) or thermal properties (e.g., thermal expansion coefficient)—manifest, and whether these properties can be modified through processes like alloying or heat treatment. When these materials are applied to real-life situations, the engineering aspect involves studying the loads and temperatures the material must withstand, as well as whether it will break or wear out during that process. To give one example, when a material is subjected to a temperature change, an electric charge is induced; this property is called the pyroelectric effect. Identifying that this property arises from a specific crystal structure is the scientific aspect, while applying this knowledge to create infrared sensors capable of detecting even the faint infrared radiation emitted by the human body is the engineering aspect.
In today’s era, where industry is rapidly advancing toward cutting-edge sectors, upgrading existing materials and developing materials with new properties is essential. In the aerospace industry, which is still in its early stages, high-strength materials must be developed that can withstand not only the extreme heat near the Sun and other hot planets but also cryogenic temperatures, as well as collisions with meteors and other objects. Furthermore, given the current high level of environmental awareness, there is a need to develop eco-friendly materials that do not cause pollution and are easily biodegradable when discarded. Given these factors, materials engineering technology is essential for the industry’s further development, and therefore, materials engineering will continue to advance in the future.
The applications of materials engineering are extremely diverse. It plays a pivotal role in various industries, including artificial organs and biomaterials in the medical field, high-efficiency semiconductors and next-generation batteries in the electronics industry, and solar cells and hydrogen fuel cells in the energy sector. In particular, materials engineering combined with nanotechnology is emerging as the center of next-generation technology. Nanomaterials possess unique physical and chemical properties not found in conventional materials, opening up a wide range of potential applications. These advancements in materials engineering will make our lives richer and more convenient.
Another appeal of materials engineering is its creativity and innovation. The process of creating entirely new materials and using them to develop new products and technologies is both challenging and fascinating. For example, transparent metals, self-healing materials, and ultra-lightweight, high-strength materials were once the stuff of science fiction, but they are now the subject of active research and development. These creative challenges are one of the attractions of materials engineering, drawing many students to the field.
As mentioned earlier, since materials engineering focuses on materials as its subject of study, its scope is truly vast. Consequently, those majoring in materials engineering gain a broad understanding of other engineering disciplines and fundamental scientific knowledge. Because they learn to analyze engineering as a whole, they possess the qualities of a “jack-of-all-trades” that today’s society demands. If you know someone majoring in materials engineering, that person is racing toward becoming a “jack-of-all-trades” capable of making your dreams—like Iron Man’s suit or Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, which you’ve only seen in movies—a reality.
Students in the Department of Materials Engineering do not limit themselves to theory alone; they build practical skills through various experiments and projects. They gain hands-on experience by directly working with the diverse materials and processes used in actual industrial settings and solving problems. This experience lays the foundation for them to play important roles in various industrial fields after graduation. Additionally, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering explores new possibilities through convergence with other disciplines. For example, by integrating with fields such as chemical engineering, physics, and biotechnology, they pioneer new research areas and develop innovative technologies.
Consequently, the Department of Materials Engineering is one of the core disciplines leading the future, and its importance continues to grow. Students develop new materials and technologies to adapt to the ever-changing industrial environment, thereby building a better future. Students majoring in Materials Engineering are active at the forefront of these challenges and innovations, and their research and efforts will bring significant changes to our daily lives.
