Opportunities and Challenges in Corrosion Education: Review of a National Research Council Assessment

Corrosion includes the destructive oxidation of metals and nonmetallic materials resulting in the degradation of function due to exposure of materials to corrosive operational environment. An improvement in capability to better manage and reduce degradation of materials in engineered products requires a workforce educated and trained in the application of the tools, principles, and practices of corrosion engineering. One of the greatest enduring challenges in engineering education today is to make broadly available and attract students to classes covering subjects such as materials science, applied electrochemistry, and corrosion of engineered materials. The current level of effectiveness of corrosion engineering curricula in the U.S. is not sufficient to address the nation's need to improve safety, reliability, and reduce costs due to corrosion. To remedy this situation, corrosion engineering education, training, and research must be addressed at several levels: (1) short-term initiatives by universities, government, and industry and (2) long-term initiatives jointly taken by the federal government and the U.S. corrosion research community.