Different types of materials engineering

Hi Andres! Thanks for the question! I became interested in material science, and wood in particular, when one of my fantastic undergraduate professors helped me apply to a job working for the summer at the USDA Forest Products Lab.  It was there I really began to understand just how much we use wood and wood products in our every day lives as designers but we're taught SO LITTLE about the materials themselves. (This is the thing about fantastic professors - they not only teach you their subject, they show you how much MORE there is to know and seek out on your own.) From there I took another summer position at the University of Maine's Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center (now called Advanced Structures and Composites Center) where I saw first hand the synergy that is possible between diverse disciplines - chemists, wood scientists, civil engineers - all working together to develop the research and testing that takes a material to new levels. This led to graduate study in wood science and a career combining wood science with forensic engineering.  Now I'm a little corner of the "wood revolution" as architects and engineers take wood to new heights (look up the 14 story Treet building currently under construction in Norway and watch Michael Green's TEDTalk on wood skyscrapers.)

All of this to say, I fell in love with wood in the lab and made a successful career out of that love in the construction and design industry. I've also enjoyed connecting with other material scientists over the years - those in glass, metal, and petrography. It may seem counter-intuitive that such a narrow focus on one specific material has led all of us in so many different directions with exciting opportunities for collaboration. 

Good luck with all your studies! Get involved, in and out of the lab, in all that interests you.