What does it mean to be a metallographer?

Sprechen sie deutsch?

Ja, aber nur ein bisschen.

In case you don't speak German, the ZEISS folks have provided handy captions so Toni can take us on a bit of a tour to show what a metallographer does.

I will say that there are some metallographers in the world who don't necessarily use exclusively ZEISS microscopes, though, in spite of what this video shows.

High-paying jobs for people who don't like stress

I'm not sure that I agree with this "24 High-Paying Jobs for People who Don't Like Stress" article.

They list material scientist as being the #1 most stress-free high paying job.

All the material scientists I know seem to always be talking about stress...and strain.

(In all seriousness, as I type this at the end of the quarter and think about all the grading I'm behind on finishing and the letters of recommendation I need to write and the National Honor Society applications I need to evaluate, I'm thinking I might've steered down a less stressful, higher paying career path if I'd known about material science back in high school.)

NOVA's Secret Life of Scientists and Enginners

I'm not entirely sure why BB-8 is in the center of NOVA's banner photo. I'm assuming that somehow Lucasfilms is endorsing the need to make our scientists and engineers look cool.

That's kind of where NOVA's The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers Facebook page is doing. They post daily news and reports about what scientists do. It's sort of like an ongoing This is What a Scientists Looks Like campaign but a little more professionally done.

Here are a few examples - most of which are available on their YouTube channel...

Careers in Materials Science and Engineering

There aren't a lot of parts of science that couldn't use some help from a material scientist.

That's pretty much what I got from this 2:24 video.

Material science can get you to space (conducting experiments in space), the ocean (soaking up oil from spills), the surgical suite (developing heart valves, bone plates, and more), wind farms, industry for apprenticeships, and even the universities of Britain (Swansea, Southhampton, Sheffield, and more).

There are a few academic requirements mentioned toward the end, and those are pretty specific to Great Britain, but the equivalent requirements still exist here in the US in different details.

Head Room: The Department of Chemistry Glassblowing Shop

I warn you in advance, these videos contain glassblowing that is slightly more difficult and glassblowers that are slightly more skilled than what we see in our summer workshops.

But they also contain pretty awesome career options for students with a material and an artistic bent.

Five High-Paying, Low-Stress Jobs

It doesn't get much more direct than Monster.com listing Materials Scientist as the #2 highest paying, lowest stress job out there right now.

2. Materials Scientist Median Annual Salary: $90,600

Synthetic fibers, lubricants, leak-proof materials -- these are a few of the products created by materials scientists. They need strong chemistry backgrounds and at least a bachelor’s degree to get started. Those holding a PhD often specialize in areas such as analytical chemistry or polymer chemistry.

That's the kind of fact that should be plastered on a t-shirt.