This month marks my sixth anniversary as a core member of the Irvine Materials Research Institute here at UC Irvine. I consider myself lucky to be with UC and even luckier with UCI. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to broaden my learning in materials research and teach the next generation of scientists.

Six years ago, I was invited to lead the establishment of TEMPR Lab, a provisional expansion to enable bulk and soft materials research at a whole new level. In a few months, we had installed more than a dozen instruments across multiple materials characterization categories: thermal, elemental, mechanical, and physical. An open house event followed and attracted hundreds of visitors.

Everything looked bright and shiny. I was ecstatic. The pandemic hit.

I lost my job instantly, not in the sense of paycheck (UC was generous enough to keep all of us employed even when we did nothing), but on the level of purposefulness.

For a few months, we had organized awkward virtual games weekly so everyone still felt connected. The lab was, however, at a standstill, with most instruments in sleep mode. We paid a once-a-week visit to the lab, making sure no machine died in our absence.

Doing nothing took a toll on me. I started gardening and web design, two of my old hobbies. Both ended up fruitful. The former provided a whole year of tomato supply, while the latter, a brand new IMRI website.

With the momentum, I was able to market the lab remotely and communicate with researchers on and off campus. The potential users grew.

When the lab finally opened its door to researchers in the fall of 2020, we had already accrued more than 100 users, both academic and industrial.

Today, more than four years later, TEMPR Lab has grown to house more than two dozen instruments, initiates diverse research collaborations, and helps more than a hundred researchers each year across many academic institutions and industries.

I am grateful again. More importantly, I feel purposeful.

Also today, I'd launch TEMPR Learning, a collaborative effort dedicated to free learning of diverse materials characterization techniques. This effort will involve online and in person activities, video, and written know-hows, all of which to be made free to everyone who shares the passion of learning.

Please join me on this journey and spread the words.