When students finish an engineering program, they often are asked the same question: “Industry or research?” I have asked and been asked this very question, because I am finishing my senior year in materials science and engineering at Pennsylvania State University.

After graduation, students typically work in industry or a manufacturing plant, or they attend graduate school to continue research. Although there is an educational gap in university-level engineering programs for further options, I have had exposure to a third alternative—commercial roles for material science engineers.