Reflections at the two-year milestone

Just hit the 2-year mark in the industry. Myself, still deeply immersed in adhesion science. Working with some top-notch chemists and formulators who tackle technical problems way different from my mechanics of materials background, it's making me see the value I bring to the team. Back when I graduated and was about to dive into this new gig, I had this clear goal of serving as a bridge between industry and academia. Looking back, I'm not even sure why I set that goal. Maybe it was because I loved my time with the adhesion science community and didn't want to lose touch with them. ​

Fast forward 2 years, I've experienced and seen my fair share of material failures. Sometimes, it's all about trying different ingredients through brute force - it's like a kind of magic or elusive 'art' that is hard to pick up from just reading books and papers. I'm still very into blending science with art. I find myself constantly flipping through adhesion science and polymer physics textbooks. And when it comes to learning about polymer chemistries, I've got some seriously knowledgeable colleagues I can just swing by.

​It's been quite the journey, but I'm finally getting a handle on some of the theory I used to struggle with or didn't see the real-world applications of back in grad school. I think the best part is applying simple models to figure out why things fail and coming up with ways to solve tough, real-world problems for our customers and colleagues. All those cool seminars and talks that I attended but never really put into practice are starting to come back to me now when I face problems with unknown root causes. They spark ideas for what to look up and how to use that knowledge in the industry, which is something I didn't do before.

When it comes to industry R&D, it's mostly about technological developments and IP protection. We've got tons of reliable, high-performance products, but sometimes we're clueless about why they work so well or not. For me, those unknowns are like hidden treasures, just waiting to be discovered. People often say that being adept at a computer language, writing scripts line by line, is equal to attaining logical thinking skills to solve problems. I think understanding mechanics, which describe and explain how materials respond to numerous factors step by step, is like understanding a ubiquitous programming language, like Python. 

No matter if it's dealing with liquids or solids, working on a nano or meter scale, or facing Midwestern cold or Texas heat, there's this common thread from solid-rock principles worked out by giants. It's helping me build up my knowledge base, though I know I've still got a long way to go. Every day, I'm reminded of how much I still don't know. But that's what keeps it interesting.