Cover Story
Research and Graduate Education
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Cover Story Research and Graduate Education |
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The ideas never stop
Iowa State colleagues refer to him as the “Patent Champ.” MSE Adjunct Professor Iver Anderson, with 20 patents and five pending, holds the record for most patents issued to an ISU engineering faculty member. His patented lead-free solder composition has been licensed by two companies in the U.S. and one in Japan. The 45-year-old Anderson smiled like a proud father when he said, “We’re really going to town on that one.” Anderson, who also serves as metallurgy and ceramics program director for the Department of Energy’s Ames Lab, currently focuses a good share of his research energy on replacing the steel in automotive parts with aluminum. “The automotive industry is looking for lightweight, high-strength parts. For every pound you take out of a rotating power train component, you can improve the mileage by about one percent.” He said both automotive and airplane manufacturers are eagerly awaiting the experiments’ results to see if a new simplified aluminum powder metallurgy process can produce high-performance components. That is the secret of his patenting success. “Most of the research we do isn’t just pulled out of the blue sky,” he said. “We do have an eye on the eventual applications.” He attends many technical meetings and speaks to industrial leaders. “I hear what it is that they need from materials scientists. Maybe nine times out of ten I’ll think, ‘Yeah, no kidding. That would be nice — good luck.’ But then there’s that one time when I say to myself, ‘Oh yeah. We can do THAT!’.” Anderson said the “light bulb” generally switches on when he takes a shower. Once an idea hits him, he searches the literature and tosses the idea around with friends. “Then we start to experiment a little,” said Anderson. “That’s why graduate students are so critical. I need them to do the careful experiments, survey literature, and give me the occasional reality check.” Anderson rewards his innovative students by including their names on the patents. “They definitely earn that distinction. I want them to be involved in the industrial driving force behind the patents. If my students see for themselves how industry is crying for the inventions we’re working on, it really inspires them.” Two forces motivate Anderson. “One, I like to see something I thought up become a reality. The biggest thrill I could get is seeing a large-scale application of my work in place. You know, what if every auto in the world had one of my aluminum gears?” The second is long-lasting satisfaction. “You never forget the step-by-step challenges and the persistence that drive you. So when you work on research that lasts a year, three years, or ten years, and you finally get to say, ‘Ah Ha!’ or ‘Eureka!’ — that good feeling of satisfaction lasts a really, really long time.” |
