Metallogr. Microstruct. Anal.

(2017) 6:458460
DOI 10.1007/s13632-017-0386-1

FEATURE

Dialogue with Emerging Engineers

Fatma Mokdad, Ryerson University

 Springer Science?Business Media, LLC and ASM International 2017

Describe your experiences with metallography Materials science is not only

and microstructure in your undergraduate and/ polishing a surface, looking into
or graduate studies
a microscope, and obtaining a
I still remember very well the first microstructure that I had microstructure; there is much more
the chance to thoroughly examine during my undergraduate to it. It is an area that deserves more of
materials science lab. It was about the interpretation of our creativity and original thinking as
various steel microstructures depending on their carbon engineers or doctors since it is a very
content and I was really intrigued by the formation of dif-
diverse field that is surrounding us in all
ferent intermetallic phases and their characteristic shapes
and colors. That day, I recall walking back to the dormitory aspects of our life. Materials science has
and imagining microstructures all over the pavements and never been and will never be boring!
streets of Montreal. During my final undergraduate project in Fatma Mokdad
mechanical engineering at Ecole de Technologie Superieure
(ETS) in Montreal and in collaboration with Hydro Quebecs
Research Institute (IREQ), I had the chance to work with
portable robotic systems used for the maintenance of large
hydroelectric equipment. The alloys used to build the flexi-
ble robots played a major role in the quality of their robotic
gridding and in avoiding cavitation and cracking. For my
M.Sc. at the University of Arizona in Tucson, my fascination
for materials continued but it shifted from metals to wooden
structures and it was combined with my passion for pianos,
since I had the chance to study wooden soundboards in grand
pianos. My most enriching learning experience was acquired
when I joined Dr. Daolun Chens group to pursue my PhD in
Ryerson University, Toronto. I began working on light-
weight alloys and their structural applications for the auto-
motive industry. Starting from my second week of joining
the group, I found myself fully immersed in metallography
and sample preparation cutting, mixing resins, mounting,
polishing, and etching and I have since continued to learn
something new every day which only grew my love for the
vast field of materials science.

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What do you find most interesting about the field
of materials science and engineering?
What is really interesting in the field of materials science is
the variety of the research areas that it offers and the
opportunity to introduce something innovative and mean-
ingful to the current literature. I have personally been more
attentive to the deformation behavior of lightweight alloys
and the enhancement of their deformation resistance with
rare earth (RE) elements for magnesium (Mg) alloys or the
development of composites with the addition of rein-
forcements [e.g. carbon nanotubes (CNTs)] for aluminum
(Al) alloys. If either of these options is exploited properly,
it would be possible to reduce the car weight tremendously.
Another aspect that I find interesting in materials science is
that it is not hard for our research findings to be concretized
in our everyday life, since a decrease in the car weight
would benefit the fuel economy and emission regulations,
two of the most discussed environmental constraints.
Describe your current research project for your
post doc (or your PhD project). How would you
describe the impact of your work? Were there any
surprising findings?
As mentioned above, since I have joined Dr. Daolun
Chens group in Ryerson University for my PhD, I have
been working in the deformation behavior of lightweight
alloys: Effects of rare-earth (RE) microalloying and carbon
nanotube (CNT) reinforcement. I have recently obtained
my PhD degree in June 2017 and I have been since con-
tinuing my Post Doc in the same group and under the same
supervisor. The work conducted so far has a great impact
since the structural application of lightweight alloys
inevitably requires the mechanical properties and the
continuous performance improvement to meet the
increasingly stringent safety and durability requirements.
The main purpose of my work was therefore to identify the
effects of RE element and carbon nanotube (CNT) rein-
forcement on the deformation behavior, focusing mainly on
the deformation mechanisms.
For the first part of my research on magnesium alloys,
one of the unexpected findings was noted when studying
the ZEK100 Mg alloy, which is a low RE-containing with
only 0.2 wt% neodymium. Despite its lower cost and lower
RE content, ZEK100 has proven to have very comparable
fatigue life to that of the much more expensive and high
RE containing alloy GW103K, which has 10 wt%
gadolinium and 3 wt% yttrium. This means that effective
and more affordable options can be adopted when having
459
the right alloying elements and annealing condition, lead-
ing to a good combination of strength and ductility.
For the second part of my research on Al alloys and
aluminum matrix composites (AMCs), despite the
extraordinary characteristics of CNTs, with addition of
only 0.2 wt% CNT during the formation of the composite,
the activation energy of the base alloy was greatly
enhanced, however a smaller processing window was
obtained after developing the processing maps of the
composite.
What initially drew you to major in materials
science and engineering? Had you already settled
on this major, or did you come to it partway
into your undergraduate degree?
Since an early age, I have always liked scientific magazines
and TV shows and was captivated by any research and
novelties in the field. However to be honest, I did not
initially know which major I would choose and I was
thinking about theoretical physics. Then, after some
thinking, I came to the conclusion that engineering was
what I needed to channel my energy and boost my cre-
ativity. I really liked solid mechanics and material resis-
tance, so I opted for the mechanical engineering. Once I
started my undergraduate studies, I have always had an
interest in materials, structure formation and microstruc-
tural features when dealing with ferrous and non-ferrous
alloys. Thus, when choosing my PhD focus, I wanted to
choose the mechanical engineering path that would help
me reach my goals and help me follow my passion and I
found the comfort I was seeking, again, in the field of
materials science.
What would you like people to know
about materials science that most currently
do not know?
Materials science is not only polishing a surface, looking
into a microscope, and obtaining a microstructure; there is
much more to it. Materials science is a keen sense of
observation, it is investigating to the smallest dislocation
movement you can understand and the tiniest deformation
twinning junction or twintwin interaction you can detect.
It is an area that deserves more of our creativity and
original thinking as engineers or doctors since it is a very
diverse field that is surrounding us in all aspects of our
life. Materials science has never been and will never be
boring!
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What are your career aspirations? Where would
you like to be in 10 years? 30 years?
As I mentioned earlier, I have recently obtained my PhD
degree and started my Post Doc in Ryerson University. In
10 years, I would like to see myself gaining more profes-
sional experience either in the industry or as a faculty in
one of the well-known North American universities. In
30 years, it would depend on which path I would have
followed; if I would have been working in the industry, I
would like to see concrete application and use of my
research in the automotive and aerospace industry in both
design and manufacturing of more environmental friendly
devices. On the other hand, if I would have been working
as a faculty in a university, I see myself having a large
research group and recruiting deserving students, guiding
them and helping them reach their goals, make a difference
and have an impact the field of materials science.
Did you have any mentors or guides throughout
your academic experience that had a significant
impact on you? How did this person most help
you?
I am extremely grateful to every single person who has
taught me something, whether they were my research
supervisors, instructors, technical officers, lab mates,
examiners They all have had a very significant impact on
me. Hence I will only mention those who helped me from
when I started my PhD. In fact, when I started my PhD
research, my background in lightweight alloys needed an
improvement and I can say that I was really well sur-
rounded in Ryerson University. My supervisor Dr. Daolun
Chen was extremely helpful and was always guiding me, I
remember discussing with him for up to 3 or 4 h per day,
morning and afternoon and he was never tired of my
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Metallogr. Microstruct. Anal. (2017) 6:458460
questions, which really had an impact on my perseverance
and pushed me to do my best. The technical officers
Messrs. Alan Machin, Joseph Amankrah, and Qiang Li
were also of a great help. If I needed sample machining,
SEM or EBSD investigations, or if I even needed to see the
feasibility of my ideas, they were always there, motivating
me, smiling and they were never tired even when I know
that I am very persisting, they all had and still have a huge
impact on me.
You are soon transitioning from the role of student
to the role of independent researcher. While your
time as a student is still fresh in your mind, what
advice would you give to your undergraduate self,
when you were just starting at university?
I would certainly tell myself not to be afraid and that
mechanical engineering is truly my passion so I would
encourage myself to go for it with no hesitation. I would
also advise my younger self to keep my horizons open, to
try new things and let my passion for science guide me. I
would also warn myself that when I start doing research I
will feel frustrated at many occasions; when I send a paper
for publication and it gets rejected or gets negative com-
ments, if I feel no one understands my vision, when I spend
a week preparing a sample but still cannot observe what I
am looking for, when I stress out for my PhD examination.
Hang in there, it is all worth it, so be determined and
persistent and let your eagerness for new things guide you.
If you would like to suggest a student or recent graduate
to be the subject of a future interview, please email
ryan.deacon@asminternational.org. Students and gradu-
ates themselves are welcome to step forward if they would
like to share their story. We look forward to hearing from
you!