Materials Engineering

The interdisciplinary field of materials science, also commonly termed materials science and engineering is the design and discovery of new materials, particularly solids. The intellectual origins of materials science stem from the Enlightenment, when researchers began to use analytical thinking from chemistry, physics, and engineering to understand ancient, phenomenological observations in metallurgy and mineralogy. Materials science still incorporates elements of physics, chemistry, and engineering. As such, the field was long considered by academic institutions as a sub-field of these related fields. Beginning in the 1940s, materials science began to be more widely recognized as a specific and distinct field of science and engineering, and major technical universities around the world created dedicated schools of the study, within either the Science or Engineering schools, hence the naming.

Many of the most pressing scientific problems humans currently face are due to the limits of the materials that are available and how they are used. Thus, breakthroughs in materials science are likely to affect the future of technology significantly.

Materials scientists emphasize understanding how the history of a material (its processing) influences its structure, and thus the material's properties and performance. The understanding of processing-structure-properties relationships is called the § materials paradigm. This paradigm is used to advance understanding in a variety of research areas, including nanotechnology, biomaterials, and metallurgy. Materials science is also an important part of forensic engineering and failure analysis – investigating materials, products, structures or components which fail or do not function as intended, causing personal injury or damage to property. Such investigations are key to understanding, for example, the causes of various aviation accidents and incidents.

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Scholarships for Materials Engineering Majors

Bullet name award deadline Link
 

NSF SBIR Innovative Postdoctoral Entrepreneurial Fellowship (NSF I-PERF)

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)

Up to $78,000 Varies See Details
 

NSF SBIR Innovative Postdoctoral Entrepreneurial Fellowship (NSF I-PERF)

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)

award

Up to $78,000

deadline

Varies
See Details
 

Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Up to $30,000 Varies See Details
 

Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

award

Up to $30,000

deadline

Varies
See Details
 

Trustey Family Scholars Program

University of Notre Dame

$25,000 January 01, 2024 See Details
 

Trustey Family Scholars Program

University of Notre Dame

award

$25,000

deadline

January 01, 2024
See Details
 

Stinson Scholars Program

University of Notre Dame

$25,000 January 01, 2024 See Details
 

Stinson Scholars Program

University of Notre Dame

award

$25,000

deadline

January 01, 2024
See Details
 

Besio Family Scholarship

University of Notre Dame

$25,000 January 01, 2024 See Details
 

Besio Family Scholarship

University of Notre Dame

award

$25,000

deadline

January 01, 2024
See Details
 

Engineering Honors Scholarship - Greenville University

Greenville University

$20,500 Varies See Details
 

Engineering Honors Scholarship - Greenville University

Greenville University

award

$20,500

deadline

Varies
See Details
 

CIA Undergraduate Scholarship Program

Central Intelligence Agency

Up to $25,000 June 30, 2023 See Details
 

CIA Undergraduate Scholarship Program

Central Intelligence Agency

award

Up to $25,000

deadline

June 30, 2023
See Details
 

Astronaut Scholarship in Science and Technology

Astronaut Scholarship Foundation

Up to $15,000 Varies See Details
 

Astronaut Scholarship in Science and Technology

Astronaut Scholarship Foundation

award

Up to $15,000

deadline

Varies
See Details
 

Air Force ROTC Express Scholarship

University of Iowa

$15,000 Varies See Details
 

Air Force ROTC Express Scholarship

University of Iowa

award

$15,000

deadline

Varies
See Details
 

UCF Astronaut Scholarship

University of Central Florida (UCF)

Up to $15,000 October 31, 2023 See Details
 

UCF Astronaut Scholarship

University of Central Florida (UCF)

award

Up to $15,000

deadline

October 31, 2023
See Details