Students Release Your Inner Shakespeare

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Jun 7, 2013 - Hamlet holding the unearthed skull of Yorick while describing the long-dead court jester to his friend Horatio, in Hamlet. I was tempted to write.
My Salad Days in Academia, When I Was Green Before Sintering By Richard Chinn National Energy Technology Laboratory and Oregon State University

I knocked on my professor’s door, micrograph in hand. “Avon calling!” Dr. Cordelia G. Regan was watching a video of the best supporting actress reveling at a party. The link to it was Anne Hathaway Shakes Beer. “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool! You’re bard from my office,” said she. “I need your opinion, ma’am. I plasma-etched the vitreous phase in this freeze-cast alumina in 10% O2 + 90% CF4, then gold-coated it for SEM.” “A glass, fluor auric. I knew it! A ratio!” “Huh? Should I agitate the suspension better, or maintain the connected porosity?” “Neither a burrower nor a blender be.” “OK…I’m considering adding 2% boron oxide flux. What do you think?” She thought it over. “Two B, or not 2B…that is the question.” “What’s next, and what about the stratification of the agglomerates?” I asked as she slurped the last of her Red Zinger. “Etch two, brew tea. But first, let’s cull all the layers.” “How, now? Do I need more organic binder in the slip?” “Beware the ideas of starch.” ”Will do. One more thing, Professor. May I use your copy of Introduction to Ceramics for the course I’m taking next term?” “A course? A course! My Kingery for a course?” she thundered. “The lady doth protest too much,” I mused. She makes much ado about nothing. Thus with a course I sigh. “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” I said as I drove away in my Saab Sonett.

Ceramics in Writing 2013.docx

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20 May 2013

'A ceramic by another name would still be brittle'—Students, release your inner Shakespeare! | Ceramic Tech Today

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‘A ceramic by another name would still be brittle’— Students, release your inner Shakespeare! Edited By Eileen De Guire • March 1, 2013 (No Comments)

Scanning electron micrograph of a partially agglomerated suspension of alumina particles, which have been directionally freeze-cast resulting in large alumina agglomerates laced with a fine freeze-cast structure. Credit: Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington.

As far as we know, William Shakespeare was not a ceramist, but ceramists can be writers! In fact, most are, whether it is to write lab reports, progress reports, journal articles, memos, theses, PowerPoint presentations, résumés, product descriptions, proposals, performance reviews … ad infinitim. So why not hone those skills and release your inner Shakespeare by participating in the “Ceramics-in-Writing” contest sponsored by the President’s Council of Student Advisors? Students are invited to submit an original work of creative writing, 250 words or less, inspired by the micrograph pictured above to [email protected]. As with any contest, there is a prize! Here’s your chance to win an ACerS polo shirt, and the winning entry will be published in the June/July issue of the ACerS Bulletin. Entries are due by March 29, 2013, by 5 pm PST. Share

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Richard Chinn

pcsa writing competition

Guest columnist

First writing contest draws out students’ muses

(Credit: University of Washington.)

This year the PCSA introduced a new contest for students—the “Ceramics-in-Writing” competition. Students submitted original works of creative writing, prose, or poetry up to 250 words inspired by the image shown. The PCSA Programming Committee evaluated entries based on originality, style, creativity, and execution as well as relevance to the micrograph. Aaron Lichtner, PCSA Programming Committee chair says, “The idea behind the contest was to raise awareness of the PCSA. We received entries from across the country, including some from universities not currently represented in the PCSA, so we feel we achieved our goal. The contest raised awareness of ceramics in the field of materials science, as well, so the contest was a great success. There were some really creative ideas submitted!” Here we present the winning entry by Richard Chinn. The runner-up entry—“A Particulate’s Perspective,” by Madie Melcer—will be published in the August ACerS Bulletin. Congratulations to our winners!

Inspiration image—Scanning electron micrograph of a partially agglomerated suspension of alumina particles that have been directionally freeze-cast, resulting in large alumina agglomerates laced with a fine freeze-cast structure.

Winner Richard Chinn is a research materials engineer at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Albany, Ore., and a PhD candidate in materials science at Oregon State University in Sundar V. Atre’s group. His PhD research is on injection molding and green machining of silicon carbide for mechanical applications. At NETL he develops high-performance materials for fossil energy applications. n

American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 92, No. 5 | www.ceramics.org

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My Salad Days in Academia, When I Was Green Before Sintering (key) Richard Chinn I wrote a satirical ≤250-word essay for a student writing contest sponsored by the American Ceramic Society in 2013, and won. The theme of the essay was a micrograph of freeze-cast aluminum oxide, with a hint of William Shakespeare. My essay was published in Ceramic Bulletin in the June 2013 edition, although the editor used the first draft I submitted rather than a later version with a few corrections. A key to the Shakespeare puns is below. I also used a few of these in a slightly different context in my 2008 novel Live to Ride, which has a scene in Shakespeare’s hometown. •

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“My salad days, When I was green in judgment, cold in blood,To say as I said then!” Cleopatra to her attendant Charmian, in Antony and Cleopatra. Ceramics are said to be green before they are sintered (fired, colloquially). Metaphorically, the young Cleopatra was as green (inexperienced) and cold (passionless) as a piece of lettuce. At least, this is how she now explains her youthful affair with Julius Caesar. William Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. King Lear’s three daughters were Cordelia, Goneril and Regan, in King Lear. Capulet is Juliet’s surname in Romeo and Juliet, which I used as the professor’s surname in the first version. Mrs. Shakespeare’s maiden name was Anne Hathaway, same as the actress. “Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!” – Hamlet to dying Polonius, in Hamlet. Shakespeare was known as the Bard (poet) of Avon. “Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio...” – Hamlet holding the unearthed skull of Yorick while describing the long-dead court jester to his friend Horatio, in Hamlet. I was tempted to write that I was humming Onward Christian Soldiers as I entered the professor’s office, to which she replied, “…A new hymn! A ratio!” but I was pushing my 250-word limit. Etching reveals microscopic features that would be invisible without etching. Carbon tetrafluoride plasma etches ceramics and semiconductors by reacting with silicon atoms. A 10-nm thick gold (Latin: aurum) film is needed to make ceramics electrically conductive for observation by scanning electron microscope (SEM). “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.” – Polonius’ fatherly advice to son Laertes, in Hamlet. The ceramic in the photo is very porous, which could be good or bad, depending on how the ceramic will be used. “Two be, or not to be, that is the question.” – Hamlet considering suicide in Hamlet. I was trying to think of a way I could incorporate a fifth test tube, vacuum tube or x-ray tube into the discussion (“Tube E or not Tube E?”), but it was a little too much of a stretch. Flux is a lowmelting additive that makes a ceramic easier to sinter. “Et tu, Bruté?” – Caesar’s dying words, literally “And you, Brutus?” in Latin, in Julius Caesar. I probably should have had the professor drinking Earl Grey, but I deferred to a product of my native state. “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” – Dick the butcher to Cade, in Henry VI, Part 2. "How now? A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!" – Hamlet after stabbing Polonius to death, in Hamlet.

Key to My Salad Days in Academia.docx

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“Beware the ides of March.” – a soothsayer (fortune teller) to Caesar on March 15, in Julius Caesar. Ceramic powder + organic binder, similar to bread dough, is called slip, or green ceramic. Starch is sometimes used as a component of the organic binder. The binder is consumed by burning or evaporation during sintering. Introduction to Ceramics, by W. David Kingery et al., was considered the bible of ceramic engineering from the 1960s into the 1990s. Still a useful textbook. “A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!” – Richard the Third’s close-to-dying words, in Richard III. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” – Queen Gertrude commenting to her son Hamlet on an actress’ lines, in Hamlet. Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s comedies, and has been made into a movie more than once. “Thus with a kiss I die.” – Romeo’s dying words, in Romeo and Juliet. “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” – Juliet saying good-night to Romeo, in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare wrote sonnets, a type of 14-line poem. The Saab car from the 1970s was spelled Sonett, from så nätt den är, which means “so neat they are” in Swedish, according to a Wikipedia article.

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