Guitar heroes
Dr. Martin Webster | TLT President's Report November 2015
Want to become a tribology superstar? Use STLE as your arena.
Practice makes perfect—in rock and roll and the world of lubrication engineering.
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / feedough
I CONSIDER MYSELF VERY FORTUNATE to have grown up during the 1970s in and around London’s vibrant music scene. I had the opportunity to experience, in venues great and small, the birth and subsequent popularization of some great music genres.
What we now call classic rock lived alongside the rise of progressive rock, folk rock, punk rock, reggae, ska, two tone and others. I remember one occasion in my early teens watching a local favorite folk rock band named Stackridge in a small venue near my hometown. The wild and enthusiastic response of the audience remains one of my strongest memories from those years. The other act that night, a band called Genesis, also sounded quite promising.
Recently, through the magic of YouTube, I have found myself watching some of my old rock heroes perform live sets. In particular I have been enthralled by acoustic guitar performances from the likes of Eric Clapton, Steve Howe and Greg Lake, to name only a few. I would have given almost anything to have been in the small audience present for Eric Clapton’s unplugged concert, which was organized and recorded by MTV back in 1992. In many ways these acoustic performances showcase the sheer musicianship of these legends even more than their amplified versions.
I have come to realize that, long before they became superstars, these musicians spent many hours developing their unique skills. I suspect that much of the early mastering of the basics was achieved using relatively simple acoustic instruments. Learning the basics is the first step in becoming proficient in any activity or profession. Once achieved, it is time to apply your talents and start on a path of continuous improvement by mastering increasingly difficult challenges.
The same rules apply to our profession. The good news is that STLE can help you along the way. Our education courses will help you pick up and master the basics. Having mastered these, it is likely that you will gravitate toward specializing in one of tribology’s many genres. Will it be the heavy metal of contact mechanics, the fluid jazz and blues roots of lubrication fundamentals, the more progressive style of nanotribology or the new age format of bioinspired tribology?
If you like performing live in front of an audience, you can share your talents at one of STLE’s many local sections. With practice you will no doubt soon find yourself performing at big stadium events such as our annual meeting or the Tribology Frontiers Conference. Along the way you will have opportunities to collaborate with your fellow artists by perhaps contributing to panel discussions or workshops. Ultimately you may end up headlining as an invited speaker at one of our major events.
If you lean toward recorded works, our affiliated peer-reviewed journals Tribology Transactions and Tribology Letters, along with TLT, provide a means of recording your ideas for permanent enjoyment among your fan base. Presenting at an STLE University Webinar can add a visual element to your performances. There are even opportunities for budding promoters to help organize events at all levels. Whatever journey your artistic talents take you on, you will find an outlet within STLE to help you practice and perfect your skills.
As you inevitably rise toward superstar status I hope that you will always remember your roots. Of course, I will look forward to being in the audience for your unplugged, acoustic, back-to-basics performance when you return to present at one of our education courses to pass along some of the skills you have learned in becoming a tribology rock star. And thus the cycle starts over for the next generation.
Martin Webster is a senior research associate for ExxonMobil Research and Engineering in Annandale, N.J. You can reach him at martin.n. webster@exxonmobil.com.