Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis (2023) 12:381–384

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13632-023-00973-z

GUEST EDITORIAL

Inclusion in Materials Science and Engineering: Why Diversity

is Necessary and How to Achieve Better Outcomes Together
Gee Abraham1

Published online: 31 May 2023

© ASM International 2023

What I Love About Materials Science

Microstructures are practically a prescription for serotonin.

After working for a major metallography company, I have
seen thousands of different sample materials come across
my desk. Placing a well-prepared sample on the microscope
stage and taking that first look is like tasting my Buela’s
homemade hummus: freshly ground, polished to perfec-
tion, and etched into my memories. Microstructural features
weave through my mind as constant reminders of the diver-
sity woven throughout our science.
Our field of materials science makes use of a myriad of
scientific disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology, geology,
metallurgy, computer science, and forensics, among others.
The range of knowledge available to understand our beautiful
science is astounding, and one can go as deep or as wide as
desired.
Science has long been an activity that brings people And Yet, Diversity is Not Baked into Science
together by giving us shared interests and goals. Academic While women make up more than half of the world’s popula-
conferences embody this idea, connecting us and further- tion, they are only about 30% of the world’s researchers [1].
ing traditions for presenting new ideas and research. People In the United States, women account for 52% of non-STEM
buzz with collections of knowledge to share and their back- workers, but only 34% of the STEM workforce, on average
grounds provide unique contexts for deriving that knowl- [2]. These numbers decrease among leadership positions
edge. This variety—this diversity—is baked into science, (20–25%), inventors (10.7%), and published authors in peer-
and it is what I have always loved about the field. reviewed journals (20–44%, depending on career stage) [3].
The proportion of non-binary and gender non-conforming
people in STEM occupations are unknown, because despite
everything science knows about the complexity of organ-
isms and humanity, the surveys only list male and female
as options.
Materials science is no break-out exception to this trend;
as of this writing, women make up anywhere from 11 to 35%
of the field depending on the job title. The lowest end of the
range belongs to the 11% of women who are metallurgists
* Gee Abraham [4], which was my first position after graduating college. In
geeabraham.edits@gmail.com case you do not know me: I am a woman, which makes me
1
Eugene, OR 97405, USA
one of this unusual kind.

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My work as a metallurgist was a delight, a puzzle, and
exactly how the job title makes it sound. I mixed refractory
metals to manufacture alloys with unique properties, using
state-of-the-art presses and the hottest furnaces around to
form bags of powder into workable pieces. After processing,
I would perform mechanical tests, chemical analyses—and,
of course, metallography.
Without Human Diversity, We Lose Ideas
Do you know what I love more than materials science? The
people who study them.
Scientists with different experiences ask different ques-
tions. They approach problems with distinct solutions. They
test separate theories. Given what we know about how expe-
rience shapes perception, interests, and intellectual frame-
works, novelty is the result we should expect in research as
much as we expect it in art forms such as literature or music.
Research backs this up. A study of 6.6 million papers
published since 2000 in medical science found that teams
with a more even mix of male to female scientists produced
papers that are “more novel and highly cited than those of
all-men or all-women teams” [5]. Another study found that
women scientists were more likely to study pregnancy than
men, and that Black scientists studied health disparities more
often than White scientists, among other differences between
demographic groups [6].
Without a variety of backgrounds and viewpoints, ideas
are lost or never even formed.
Since new ideas are the foundation of science, diversity
among the people forming those ideas is of core importance.
And yet, as I advance in my career and become more and
more involved in the materials science professional commu-
nity, I find that many people around me still look the same.
Nature loves new information so much that bacteria
evolved a process of sharing clever ideas called horizontal
gene transfer. It is not too dissimilar from presenting tech-
niques for polishing a titanium alloy at a conference, except
that bacteria do it to acquire antibiotic resistance or speed up
adaptation to a new ecological niche [7]. They literally share
their data with others so they can have new ways to achieve
their goals—even across species and taxonomic domains
[8]. They innovate.
Bacteria increase their fitness for survival by surrounding
themselves with more diversity. We are no different, even
if the transfer of knowledge is through language and math-
ematics. At this critical juncture in human history, we need
human brilliance to be pluralistic and unfettered.
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Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis (2023) 12:381–384
The Allure of Materials and Metallography
The interdisciplinary nature of our science led me toward
discovery and connection in ways that I have not experi-
enced in any other aspect of my life. When I strive to learn
more, humans are usually the best way to find a starting
point.
Human brains are wonderful indexers of knowledge, and
accessing this knowledge only requires curiosity. If you
ask three different people about the best restaurant in town,
you are likely to get three separate answers. Not because
two of them are wrong, but because each person has their
own backgrounds, tastes, and experiences influencing their
answers—again revealing the influence of both nurture
and nature in all of us. You receive a diversity of answers
because of the diversity of people you asked.
To satisfy my own curiosity about the world through
meeting new people and asking interesting questions, I have
volunteered for three professional societies and sat on fifteen
technical and functional committees. I have met countless
people as I taught workshops, presented talks, and visited
multiple conferences each year. Rookie lab technicians teach
me as much as the masters of metallography because begin-
ners’ questions are excellent at revealing fundamental gaps
in thinking and present knowledge.
If you want extra insightful questions from an audience
that helps you think outside the box, then you should try
talking at an elementary school career day. That’s where I
gush about the rare microstructures, describing the vibrancy
of a unique hexagonal close-packed structure viewed with
polarized light—as if it is an alien sunset painted in abstract.
Or the experimental tungsten alloy that seemed as hard as
a rock when polishing, that revealed a microstructure look-
ing more like cracked earth than sleek metal. The kids ask
how it can look like that and not crack apart and still do its
job. I tell them it’s not all about looks.
Including People is the Point of Inclusion
Practices
I think that needs to be explicitly stated. Inclusion is not just
a phase or a fad. Inclusion is a necessity for science, society,
and people that are traditionally excluded. I cannot fathom
wanting to exclude anyone from a field of study like materi-
als science. It’s captivating and insightful!
Microstructures are a special interest of mine, which is a
neurodivergent way of saying that viewing metallographic
samples using a microscope brings me great joy as an activ-
ity. It is like my mind is in a flow state. My synesthesia
Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis (2023) 12:381–384
takes over, and I can feel the microstructures themselves, the
stories they tell, and the songs they dance to.
Neurodivergent people are those with autism, ADHD,
dyslexia, Tourette Syndrome, and other neurological differ-
ences. While they are considered disabilities, these condi-
tions often come with heightened sensitivities to environ-
mental stimuli, including a higher likelihood of the senses
blending, as in synesthesia [9]. Neurological differences in
people are beneficial; they are practically the definition of
thought diversity. My own high sensitivity has aided my
metallography practices: I can prepare samples by feel and
recognize patterns that are difficult to catch for other people.
Yet, according to the US National Science Foundation
(NSF), people with at least one disability comprise just 3%
of the STEM workforce in the United States. Compare that
to the approximately one quarter of the population that is
disabled, and we see a pattern similar to disparities in gen-
der. By almost any measure, STEM needs better represen-
tation. For example, the NSF found that 23% of the STEM
workforce identifies as Black or African American, Hispanic
or Latino, and American Indian or Alaska Native, versus
30% of the general population [2].
Science is meant to distinguish genuine, substantive find-
ings from inaccurate or arbitrary ones. Thus, science betrays
itself as unscientific when inclusion is not the norm. Science
falls short on its potential to do the most good in the world
when it excludes novel theories and perspectives that can
protect the most vulnerable.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities ensure
that people are not excluded. They are critical to our field
specifically, and to society. Importantly, everyone stands to
gain from inclusion. As a member of multiple traditionally
excluded social groups (disabled, LGBTQ + , neurodiver-
gent, ethnic), I have somehow carved a place for myself
among this great community of materials professionals. I
would love to share this community with a greater number
of people with unique backgrounds from which we can all
learn.
We Have a Problem That Has Been Revealed
This problem is fixable with proven strategies. It can be
measured on the way to improvement using familiar tools.
If enough people join in to help solve the problem, then we
can do it.
I am trying to do my part, and I am from multiple demo-
graphic groups that have been traditionally excluded. Such
exclusion brings a host of roadblocks that require extra
energy to overcome. As examples of my own work in this
area, I have done a series of DEI talks, written articles,
joined diversity committees and groups, posted on social
media, helped to found a non-profit organization, and started
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Fig. 1  Structure of a rolled duplex stainless steel [10]. Copyright ©
ASM International 2013. Reprinted with permission
a consultancy. If that seems impressive, then I want you
know that I am at my limits.
Fortunately, I’m not the only one doing work focused on
increasing human diversity in the field of materials science.
Every one of those talks, committees, and groups involves
cooperating with other people who also want to make our
field more accessible. However, most of the people doing
this work currently are from traditionally excluded commu-
nities. Plenty more needs to happen, and it cannot just be up
to people like us to make the world a better place.
I challenge you to be my ally and help out. Join a diver-
sity group in your community, at work, at school, or with
a professional society. The diversity, equity, and inclusion
group at your professional society is an ideal place to start
if you are already used to volunteering there. Imagine how
much more stimulating your world will be with a higher
density of novel ideas. Take the time to listen to traditionally
excluded people and learn what you can do to be an ally to
these communities. A little help from everyone is needed for
this project of improving science and society.
Remember why we should try to improve the numbers of
underrepresented populations in STEM occupations. Inclu-
sion means benefiting from the diversity of thought and the
innovation it brings. Because exclusion is an implicit default,
if you are not working to improve the uptake of members
from excluded groups, you end up with unrepresentative
membership in the field.
Work Together for Better Results
With the diversity of sample materials and structures I have
encountered, my favorite microstructure is duplex stainless
steel (Fig. 1). Duplex structures consist of two phases in
close proportions—austenite and ferrite in this case.
When viewed with a microscope, the austenite and fer-
rite grains in duplex stainless steels are revealed as layers
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alternating through the thickness of the piece, intertwining
and spreading through the busy currents of the working
direction. The two phases combine to create a material that
is exceptionally corrosion-resistant and twice as strong as
either austenitic or ferritic stainless steels by themselves.
In other words, they work together for better results.
Acknowledgments I would like to thank Kellyn Standley for her edits
and suggestions to improve this article, her dedication to making soci-
ety a better place, and her compassion for the humanity in everyone.
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