About the creator

My passion for materials science

My name is Eric, and I am currently a high school sophomore in Rhode Island. I created this blog to explore and document my interest in materials science and engineering, while also making these topics more accessible to other high school students. When I first started learning about this field, I found that it was rather difficult to find blogs and explanations on materials science and engineering that were relatively easy-to-grasp, so I wanted to create something that explains complex ideas in a more approachable way. Outside of school, I enjoy competing in FIRST robotics, as well as playing tennis and piano.

From a young age, I have been fascinated by the world around me. I started by asking simple questions like why ceramic plates shatter when dropped while metals bend or dent, and this really sparked my curiosity early on. During the pandemic, I began exploring this interest even more actively through hands-on projects and experiments and built and tested many different designs of my own. These projects included discovering how different materials reacted to my homemade black powder, or

Now, as a high school student, I continue to pursue these interests through both academic and extracurricular activities. I am currently an assistant captain and lead designer of First Tech Challenge (FTC) Team 636 Occam’s Razor Clams. Last season, as a member of Team 252 Electric Quahogs, we qualified for and competed at the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship in Houston, Texas. This year, our team advanced past the state championship and will be competing at the FIRST New England Premier Event next month in April. I was also selected as a FIRST Dean’s List Finalist at the state championship and will be attending the recognition ceremony at the FIRST World Championship in Houston, Texas in May! During this and last year’s season, materials science and engineering has always been part of the equation, especially as a designer. For instance, I’ve had to analyze optimal materials for different parts of the robot, such as using the more rigid and flexible Delrin (acetal plastic) for the main chassis instead of Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF). It has also been the other way around, as well — one example is that the CAD experience I have gained (I am a Certified Onshape Associate) through robotics will help me greatly in materials science and engineering in the future.

Outside of school, I am an active member of several STEM-related clubs and activities, including Academic Decathlon, Science Olympiad, and math team. I also enjoy challenging myself through self-studying — for example, I am currently self-studying AP Calculus BC to advance faster through my school’s math curriculum, and taught myself HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to build this website from scratch.