IBM summer materials science course (late 1970s)

Tom and Sadoway teaching 40 IBM students "introductory materials science" — students ranged from PhDs in materials to EEs who didn't know what a material was. Lesson: go back to basics, which are simple, and everyone can find insight there. ## Figures referenced

Professor Sadoway and I were asked back in the late 1970s to teach a course to 40 IBM students one summer, and we were supposed to teach them introductory materials science. Fortunately we did ask them what some of the background was. A couple of students had PhDs in materials, and we were supposed to be teaching them introductory materials science. We also had electrical engineers who didn't know what a material was. So we came back and said, well, how are we going to teach this when we've got people who know nothing all the way up to people who have a doctoral degree in the area? But we found out the old MIT technique sort of works: you go back to the basics. If you go back to the basics, people usually can find some insight, because the basics are actually simple.