Research Expenditure

Research Expenditure in USA has been on the rise for the last few years. There was a perceptible dip in the allocations at the turn of the century; however, the things have again changed for the better. I was curious to know just how much funding is available and what exactly has been the trend in the Universities there. So I got this interesting graph which I would just share.

 

Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering still lead the pack. An interesting observation is the huge growth seen in the Bio Engineering allocation and the sharp rise in biomedical engineering allocation. Also interesting is the trend shown by materials science which has shown a flattening in the last decade but has improved a bit in the last few years. I would try and get similar data for other engineering branches as well.

Source: http://www.engtrends.com/

9. Materials Science

Thanks to an improving economy and a growing acceptance of, and demand for technological developments in the U.S., the employment outlook for materials science graduates is quite good, according to department heads at Stanford University in California and the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

“The employment outlook over the last couple of years has been about the best we’ve ever seen,” contends Dr. Ashok Saxena, chairman of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech. “In fact, it’s hard to find students to respond to all of the requests we get [to fill positions].

“Trends impacting the employment picture, according to Saxena, include the booming electronics and automotive industries, each of which are opening their doors to candidates for manufacturing-related jobs in a number of areas. “Everyone from large to small manufacturing businesses, as well as consulting companies and start-up businesses are interested in our students,” he says. “These days I’m also getting a lot of requests for metallurgists, which falls under this department. “

From his vantage point at Stanford University in Northern California, Dr. John Bravman, professor and chairman of the university’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, also sees an encouraging picture. “It’s a good time to be an engineer,” he says, noting that statistically, the majority of students earning degrees from Stanford join larger, more established companies, though the numbers of start-ups by Stanford grads are ever-increasing.

“Right now, because of the emphasis on computer networking telecommunication, the market I’m most familiar with—high-tech microelectronics—is particularly strong,” Bravman continues. “People who design and manufacture microelectronic equipment are hiring left and right. That, in turn, is causing a ripple effect for related businesses. “Saxena of Georgia Tech says the semiconductor industry is another strong area for graduates to consider.

“As this area continues to grow, there will be a lot of jobs related to electronics packaging, which is basically an engineering discipline that looks into increasing the density of active devices and electronic components—making electronic goods lighter while improving their performance,” Saxena says. “There is also a lot of activity in the aerospace industry thanks to a demand for new aircraft,” he adds.

Other areas demanding skilled materials scientists include the formerly mentioned automotive industry and related industries such as steel and aluminum manufacturing. As for expected credentials, it’s no surprise that while the need to fill positions is high, so too, are the demands of employers. However, both Saxena of Georgia Tech and Bravman of Stanford have tremendous confidence in the preparation of their graduates. “Employers come to Georgia Tech because we have a very well-known engineering program,” Saxena relates. “They [employers] know they are going to find good students who have been through a rigorous program.”

Those with GPAs of 3.0 and up, as well as a good grounding in the fundamentals are the most highly sought-after, according to Saxena. Add to those credentials the flexibility to move into new areas and the ability to work on teams and there’s virtually no stopping the opportunities open to a Georgia Tech grad.

Bravman believes employers continue to seek out grads with “raw talent and horsepower,” though, he says, “increasingly we’re hearing employers asking for people who are flexible, multidisciplinary, who can communicate well and who can work in teams. Rock bottom, I think they’re still looking first and foremost for technically talented people.”

Some good courses in materials science can be found at:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Northwestern University (McCormick) (IL)
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
University of California–Berkeley
University of California–Santa Barbara
Stanford University(CA)
Cornell University(NY)
Pennsylvania State University–University Park
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Florida
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University(PA)
Ohio State University
Purdue University–West Lafayette(IN)
Harvard University(MA)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute(NY)
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas–Austin
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Johns Hopkins University (Whiting)(MD)
Lehigh University (Rossin)(PA)
North Carolina State University
University of California–Los Angeles (Samueli)
Case Western Reserve University(OH)
University of Cambridge
IISc – Bangalore

Source: http://www.graduatingengineer.com/

Suggested reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materials_engineering

CV to Résumé – steps

Well friends, for those of you who might be looking for a job outside the academe, this should prove very handy. For others, I guess its high time that we all realize what is the exact difference between the two and how to prepare a résumé from a CV! This article has been republished from chronicle.com . Also refer to my previous article on resume writing tips to better understand this article. For copyright consideration, I would request you to read the original article (link at the bottom).

Think of a résumé as a compelling introduction of your experiences and skills as they relate to a particular career or job. By contrast, a curriculum vitae displays your academic credentials and accomplishments in great detail.

A résumé indicates to employers your seriousness of intent. By the time you are actually seeking jobs, your résumé — along with a cover letter — is essential for getting an interview, unless you have managed to network your way to an interview.

Although they provide incomplete information, résumés are typically your only means of persuading an employer to take a risk on a career changer. Therefore, you need to tailor your presentation of skills, experience, and motivation to fit the requirements of the job you are seeking, while making the entire “package” irresistible.

Erin Keay (a pseudonym) asked for help in converting her C.V. to a résumé. A Ph.D. candidate in neuroscience and a columnist for The Chronicle’s Career Network, Erin is considering alternative careers in science journalism and publishing, public relations, and industrial research. We present her C.V. first, and then the annotated Résumé we created for science writing and editing jobs. (She would submit a slightly modified C.V. for industrial-research positions.)

In general, note that résumés require you to be both more concise and more general than C.V.’s. Your résumé will emphasize the experience and skills most relevant to the new career and probably play down your academic credentials and experience, as does Erin’s.

Here are some common-sense rules for creating a résumé:

• Try to keep a résumé to one page, particularly for business and media fields. (There is a rough rule of thumb that more than 10 years of experience warrants a second page.) If it goes to a second page, make sure the first page contains essential information and the second page includes your name. Often you can present the second page as an addendum listing publications and similar material, as Erin does.

• Make the résumé visually effective to communicate professionalism and clarity. Make it easy for the eye to scan, using capital letters, bold print, underlining, and spacing to highlight your strongest credentials. Don’t make it too dense, busy, or cute. Use a white or cream bond paper (the same as for your cover letters).

• Be consistent in your use of grammatical structure and style, and make sure your grammar and spelling are perfect. Proofread your résumé several times and then have someone else proofread it as well. Use accurate, accessible language; be judicious about abbreviations and jargon — even those of your targeted career.

• Be aware that information presented at the beginning of a section, at the left-hand margin, or in a column gets extra emphasis; therefore, it is generally not advisable to put dates in the margins. (Note, however, that dates in the margin appear to be standard for résumés in business fields.) Present information in order of its importance; for example, if you happen to have substantial experience or want to de-emphasize your doctorate, put Experience before Education. Or consider putting a Skills summary first if that is your strongest point. Erin places Education first because it is important for a job in science publishing and writing, and because she has relatively little relevant experience.

• One increasingly common beginning for a résumé, which Erin has adopted, is a Summary or Highlights of Qualifications section. Here you summarize the qualifications most relevant for a particular career or job, including experience, credentials, and skills. In general, avoid “Job Objective” statements, because they usually sound vapid or canned and can limit you.

• Select the best format for your qualifications and experience: reverse chronological, functional, or a combination. The reverse chronological, starting with the most recent and working backward, is easiest to construct. Functional formats are most appropriate for people who have little work experience or whose capabilities have been demonstrated in non-professional situations. The functional résumé categorizes your experience (including paid and unpaid work and personal achievements) by skill, followed by a brief section listing employment history. Functional résumés are harder to pull off successfully, partly because readers wonder if you are hiding something. For that reason, a modified chronological résumé (items described in reverse chronological order within different categories of experience) is often more effective for career changers. In Erin’s case, it allows her to emphasize the experience most-closely related to the field she hopes to enter.

• Personal information such as age, marital or health status, and race or ethnicity should be omitted. Although information about citizenship or visa status is not required, it might be wise to include a reference to U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status if your nationality is ambiguous.

• References and even the phrase “References furnished upon request” are usually omitted. However, before you go on the job market, you should line up your references — preferably a mix of academic and non-academic ones. Explain what jobs you are seeking and prime them (with a typed list, perhaps) to emphasize your skills and traits appropriate for that work. For the job interview, you might prepare a list of references with contact information, in case employers ask for names.

Author of the original article is the assistant director of career services for Ph.D.’s at Harvard University.