Careers in Metrology: Metrology Jobs: Industrial, Scientific, Legal, Aerospace

Careers in Metrology: Metrology Jobs: Industrial, Scientific, Legal, Aerospace

In all aspects of life, everything has to be exact in order to achieve balance. Can you imagine waking up to the sun’s rays and not to the sound of your alarm clock? How could you possibly pay the exact fare without knowing how much it costs, and how much money you have in your pocket? Moreover, how can you possibly live each day of your life without knowing the difference between yesterday, today, and tomorrow? Indeed, this world could never be without metrology.

Metrology is the science of measurement which embraces both the theoretical and experimental determinations of uncertainty. Basically, metrology is the backbone of almost everything that we have to live by every day. May it be the simple mechanism of the watch that keeps our activities adept with time, or the complexity of the design of aerospace vehicles; metrology plays an important role.

There are three general types of metrology which include scientific, legal, and industrial.

Scientific Metrology. This deals with the development of new systems of measurement, and the standardization of existing ones.

Legal Metrology. Focuses on the regulation of measurements and measuring instruments related to public policy issues.

Industrial Metrology. This type of metrology is the actual application of the principles of the science of measurement to manufacturing.

While all these types of metrology as equally important as the other, the advances in technology that people are now enjoying can be attributed to industrial metrology. With the advent of technology, the demand for metrologists has increased. Practically almost all sectors such as the government and the industry employ the services of metrologists for specific tasks. Thus, a number of careers can be drawn out from metrology. Here are some of the various careers in metrology.

Aerospace. Measurement and calibration are very important in aerospace technology. Metrologists are needed for the consideration of safety and function of complex machineries such as those used in aerospace. Moreover, metrologists are required for the testing of aircraft components including landing gears and turbines.

Construction. Metrologists play an important role in building design and structural analysis. Various metrology tools are developed for the determination of cost effectiveness of worksite decisions. In addition, the production of reliable and more resistant building materials primarily rely on metrology.

Communications. The building block of dependable networks is metrology. In the field of computer networking, metrologists are tasked to develop new programs for the measurement of network activities for the protection against hackers. In addition, metrologists are hired by cell phone companies for the testing of the various components of phones and cell phones.

Energy. This is probably where metrologists are most demanded. All energy companies depend on metrologists for their operation. The most important application of metrology in energy is on energy distribution and consumption. All energy consumption requires meters that determine the amount of energy consumed by different establishments. As such, the calibration of these meters is very important for the provision of accurate readings.

Health Care. Health care is the most sensitive and the most important application of metrology. The accuracy of medical equipments defines the line between life and death. Metrologists are required to calibrate various medical devices and measurements. As such, the credibility of medical equipment and devices rely on the certification of metrologists.

Fig.1. Device-testing metrology

Images. brooksinstrument.com

Fig.2. Metrology laboratory environment

Images. marposs.com