The time I arrived in Dearborn, Michigan was during the beginning of a grey winter: grey sky, grey trees and grey roads. I have to admit, that the winter in Dearborn was miserable, especially when I just arrived from the colourful Australian summer. Not sure if it was because everything else was so grey, things that immediately caught my attention, when I stepped into the Research and Innovation Center (RIC) of Ford, were all the colourful national flags hanging from the ceiling of the main lobby. They represent the dozens of nationalities of the researchers in RIC.

Over the course of three months, the initial feeling of being amazed continued. This time it was because of the people and the projects. I was connected to two research groups at Ford, the sustainability group and the carbon fibre group. Although the two groups conduct two vastly different types of research, it was amazing to see how each of them makes their contribution to the development of the company. Being able to learn about the projects really gave me the perspective to understand how to maximise the impact of research and translate research outcomes into real-world applications. The opportunity to be part of the groups was just fascinating. I was really glad to participate in the development of recycled carbon fibre composite materials for the next-generation lightweight vehicles. In addition, I evaluated the life cycle environmental impacts of novel recycled carbon fibre composite car parts, as compared to traditional metal parts. None of these would have been possible without this placement opportunity. Apart from these, I still remember all the coffee walks, lunchtime talks and seminars that allowed me to have a glimpse of the other diverse and interesting projects in the Ford RIC community, from the use of novel materials in vehicles, to autonomous driving, and to new fuel technologies etc.. This is a huge research community, where each group has innovative ideas and collaborates with one another for the development of the company.

As I became more engaged in the local community, I realised that life could also get colourful in Dearborn. It was my first time to be in the US and there were so many things I wanted to see and try. First, without question, the no.1 thing to experience in the US: the gun culture. With my kind roommate and Ford engineer Glen being my guide, ranges became the second most visited places during weekends, behind grocery stores. Other unforgettable experiences: being in both Biden’s (president now?) and Bernie’s presidential campaign rallies, watching a NBA game and a live Jazz show in Chicago, visit to the Ford museum with a rich history of automobiles, etc.. Not a comprehensive list, just too much to experience.

So it is fair to say my Ford placement experience has been a colourful one. Although it was abruptly cut short by the pandemic, it was already a rich experience, both for work and for life. I’m really grateful to ATLAS for this amazing opportunity and will carry on with this spirit of adventure in the rest of my PhD journey.