To a Student

Materials Processing Technology department is a mystery for one and a joy for other. To popularize it among all students of Arcada we decided to talk to staff and students about what concerns and expectations are floating around.

RENE HERRMANN, Senior Lecturer in Natural Sciences and Composite Materials in Arcada University of Applied Sciences, has agreed to discuss environmental issues and students’ future with PET (Polymer Engineering Technology) Club in the beginning of academic year 2017-2018.

Student:  Talking about global environment, which issue concerns you the most and how you can address it as a materials engineer?

Rene Herrmann: Often, less is more. It is not enough to ask if something can be recycled,  one should ask if it is needed in the first place. The material engineer should understand that talking about global environmental concerns does not start with materials but with if an engineering solution to a problem is actually necessary instead of a mere business exercise. When something is found actually necessary, the item must be made, regardless of initial environmental considerations. All that, nevertheless minimizing material and energy usage should be minimized when technologically meaningful.

What is the most gratifying outcome your students can bring?

The student ends their studies with a higher level of knowledge than the lecturer. They also contribute to the life long accumulation of knowledge and become, by the aid of this education, financially independent. They provide coming generations with offspring that will carry further the quest for knowledge.