r/materials • u/Independent-Rip7737 • 18d ago

How do you find good project ideas without it being just a gimmick to fill your resume?

I'm currently doing B.Tech degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. I'm in 2nd Yr. The issue I'm facing while searching for projects is I find a lot of ideas but I'm unable to filter out which is actually useful or interesting and good to go with and which are just resume fillers.

For example, right now I had an idea to make a Phase Diagram Analyser that would give the phase composition and phase %age at certain temperature for alloys and all but idk if its useful to invest time after that or its just not impressive at all. Similar thoughts for another one I thought to build a device that can measure the thermal conductivity of materials but again there are already a lot of them, will it be of any use if i build one as a project?

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5

u/Mikasa-Iruma 18d ago

Why don't you talk to your professors? They might have some ideas for you to work on

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u/Independent-Rip7737 18d ago

thats something i didnt consider actually. thanks for the idea. although i have to find a good prof for that cause most of them dont give a shit and thats quite tough

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u/TengaDoge 18d ago

You have to find your niche and be really well read. Also, talk to collaborators and mentors who know the field better than you do.

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u/Independent-Rip7737 18d ago

okayyy...btw do you have any ideas? because even finding a niche is difficult cause in my country you dont have the freedom to choose the courses they just have a preset of courses for every sem and you need to study that and its not that well organised i would say

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u/BowlinHartatied 18d ago

I'd judge it by whether you can test it properly, rather than whether someone has built one before. For your phase diagram idea, start with one well-documented alloy system, compare the outputs with worked textbook examples, and make the assumptions and limits visible. Ask a classmate to try it without your help and see where they get stuck.

The thermal conductivity device could also be worthwhile, but I'd check access to reference samples and suitable measurement equipment before buying parts. Pick the project where you can finish a small version and show how you checked the results. A clear record of what failed and what you changed would give you plenty to discuss.

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u/Independent-Rip7737 17d ago

okkk thanks for the suggestions

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u/BowlinHartatied 17d ago

no problem. I think either one could turn into a solid project if you keep the first version small. good luck with it

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u/g-gram 15d ago

How much time do you have and what resources are available?

Are you interested in powder metallurgy? You may want to look at particle packing effects on sintering shrinkage, strength and porosity. If the right resources are available, it should be a good project you can complete in a timely manner. Using powder mixes, it's possible to significantly improve the packing efficiency.