A Composite Material

Abstract

David Estrada knows firsthand how a good mentoring experience can change a student’s life. Estrada, the first in his family to attend college, initially foundered, so he left school and joined the Navy, where he developed an interest in engineering. After his service, Estrada went back to school, this time at Boise State University in Idaho. He became a McNair Scholar, a program that prepares undergraduates for doctoral work. It gave Estrada a glimpse into research and connected him with people who work in science. Before that, “I had no idea what people with a Ph.D. did, how to pay for one, et cetera,” he says. Estrada is now a professor of materials science and engineering at Boise State. He shared his experience of becoming a materials scientist at a 2012 workshop aimed at increasing ethnic diversity in the field. A report summarizing the recommendations was released earlier this year. ...