Erik DeMeyere knew he wanted to be an engineer.
“Growing up, I always loved to solve problems, so from a young age, I knew engineering was the route I was going to take,” he said. “Finding solutions, figuring things out is something I’ve enjoyed.”
Yet when it was time to choose a university and engineering program to attend, DeMeyere was stuck in neutral.
“I was really struggling with what path I wanted to take. I enjoyed physics and chemistry in high school but knew I didn’t want to be a chemist or physicist,” DeMeyere said. “And then I saw materials engineering listed, which, at the time, I didn’t even know existed. After doing some research, I realized I had been interested in materials science all along.”
Flash forward, and DeMeyere is now a junior majoring in materials engineering, specializing in metals while working with Iver Anderson, adjunct professor of materials science and engineering and a senior metallurgist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames National Laboratory.
“I have really been enjoying working at Ames National Lab – having my hands in all sorts of different real-life research projects. Working through problems on each has been a great experience,” DeMeyere said.
In the lab, DeMeyere works on projects that advance powder metallurgy, which is creating and investigating applications of fine metal powders. Working with metals in powder form allows for more control and the ability to develop special compositions and microstructures for high-strength steels, non-rare-earth magnets, and high-strength, high-conductivity composites that are used in high-voltage power transmission lines.
DeMeyere attended and presented at a Gordon Research Conference in Boston as a sophomore—a rare feat for an undergrad researcher—and recently finished an internship at Collins Aerospace.
“When I imagined becoming an engineer, I pictured materials engineering: Solving problems and pushing boundaries of materials through the principles of physics and chemistry. I was unaware that it was its own field, but I am grateful I discovered it!”