SAMPE Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 24)

Perspectives Steven Rodgers SAMPE Past President and Consultant, EmergenTek LLC Steven.R@EmergenTek.com The Most Important Element “ . . . look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.” – The Player in “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” by Tom Stoppard As a member of the advanced material community have you ever questioned what might be the most important element in our quiver? Certainly the first response might be to fall back on the standard engineering answer: “It depends.” As you think through the possible answers to the question your circumstances, your area of discipline or your passion may influence your response. An organic chemist might suggest that Carbon is the most important element, forming the backbone of many of the materials we regularly employ. If you are a pilot flying at high altitude or an astronaut in orbit you might think of Oxygen as the most important element. If you develop strong, permanent magnets then you might elect elements like Neodymium, Samarium or Strontium. If you find yourself working in composites you are probably aware that it has often been said that nine out of ten composite designers prefer Aluminum. So what is the most important element? Let me suggest an element that has played a major role in many areas of investigation across a broad spectrum of disciplines over a long period of time. This element has both enabled and frustrated researchers in every age in which research and development has occurred since the Stone Age. When it has empowered research it has led to some of the most fortuitous discoveries of that age. When it has frustrated researchers the discoveries often go undiscovered and the developments often go undeveloped. When that happens, the stories of success go untold. Yet sometimes when this element leads to frustration the researcher will persist, learn new lessons and move forward to even greater success. This becomes the stuff of technological legends and those who persevere against the frustration become the heroes of those legends. All of this as a result of an element that is not often recognized formally and frequently goes unheralded as an enabling catalyst for change. What is the name of this element? It is the element of Surprise. How often in your career have you gone into the lab or the shop and performed an experiment or an operation expecting a given outcome only to be greeted by the element of Surprise? How often has such an occurrence caused you to sit and reevaluate your fundamental assumptions, your methodology, your understanding of physics or your attention to detail? More to the point, how often has the element of Surprise brought you to a screeching halt? When that happens, you have reached a defining moment. What will you do next now that this element of Surprise has inserted itself into the equation? There are a number of options available to you. You can simply stop. Many elements of Surprise carry an inherent game changer in them. Others go so far as to suggest failure. When this happens the temptation is to declare an impasse and move on to the next project. However, I would suggest that very few big discoveries have come about that way. You can pause to reassess the ramifications of the element of Surprise. This often causes us to reexamine fundamental assumptions in such a way that the element of Surprise allows us to come away with a more complete understanding of the subject at hand. As with the quote referenced under the title, every exit is an entrance somewhere else. This is often where great discoveries are made. If you want to thoroughly understand the element of Surprise you can try to recreate it and determine if it is consistent and repeatable. Can the results be replicated when making slight variations in the formula? Where does this effect dissipate or disappear? This pursuit can allow for a more complete understanding of the principles at work. 24 SAMPE Journal, Volume 48, No. 6, November/December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SAMPE Journal - November/December 2012

SAMPE Journal - November/December 2012
Contents
President’s Message
Technical Director’s Corner
SAMPE Journal Editorial Calender
Durability and Reliability of Large Composite Wind Turbine Blades
Corporate Partners
Welcome SAMPE’s Newest Members
SAMPE 2013|Long Beach Call for Papers
Materials & Products
SAMPE LinkedIn Communities
SAMPE Upcoming Events
SAMPE Proceedings
Perspectives
Europe News & Views
SAMPE Europe’s SEICO 2013, Paris, France
Polyurethane Composites for Wind Turbine Blades
Industry News
The SAMPE Foundation
Tech Tidbits
Performance Drivers with Glass Fiber Composites for Wind Turbine Blades
SAMPE Tech 2013|Wichita, KS Call for Papers
Advertiser’s Index
Resource Center
SAMPE Membership Application
SAMPE Books & CD’s Order Form
Industry Events Calendar
Statement to Record Ownership

SAMPE Journal - November/December 2012