By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nigel Carlton<\/span><\/a> grew up in Alamance County, the historic heart of North Carolina\u2019s textile industry, and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his girlfriend, alumna Brooke Anderson (TE \u201817). He earned a <\/span>Bachelor of Science in Textile Engineering<\/span><\/a> from the <\/span>Wilson College of Textiles<\/span><\/a> in 2017 and a <\/span>Master of Science in Textile Engineering<\/span><\/a> in 2019; while in school, he interned at <\/span>Cotton Incorporated<\/span><\/a>, served as a resident advisor, was a member of the textile honors society Sigma Tau Sigma and <\/span>Kappa Tau Beta Leadership Fraternity<\/span><\/a>, and worked as a graduate research assistant with the <\/span>Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/span><\/a> (TPACC). He is currently seeking a position with a textile company in Portland, Oregon.<\/del> He recently accepted a position with Nike, working as a material developer in the Trims department.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I came to <\/span>NC State<\/span><\/a> wanting to pursue an engineering degree but wasn\u2019t sure which one, so I went into the First Year College (now <\/span>Exploratory Studies<\/span><\/a>) to figure it out. My advisor knew that I grew up playing sports and suggested that I put my interest in sports and engineering together and pursue Textile Engineering.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What did you want to be when you were a kid?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did Wilson College of Textiles prepare you for your career? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undergraduate<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since it is the only textiles specific program in the U.S., and arguably the best in the world, Wilson College is extremely unique. For someone whose goal is to stay in the textile industry, I can only see a degree from Wilson College as a leg up on literally everyone else, because more than likely, they didn\u2019t have a background in textiles and are going to have to learn most of, if not all the terminology, conversions and adaptive mindset that every student graduating with a degree from Wilson College will already have or be familiar with. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know that Wilson College is growing, but the fact that we had small enough class sizes that you could [develop] a relationship with a professor was everything. Not just because they could help you out with a concept you aren\u2019t sure of, but mainly because just about every faculty member there is world class in nearly every textile field possible. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a few examples [from the Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science<\/a> (TECS)]: <\/span>Dr. Martin King<\/span><\/a> is basically the godfather of medical textiles; anything military or first responder wearable-related goes through <\/span>Dr. Roger Barker<\/span><\/a> and the rest of TPACC; <\/span>Dr. Jeffrey Joines<\/span><\/a> is one of the best minds in simulation and efficiency, and <\/span>Dr. Karen Leonas<\/span><\/a> is at the forefront of helping lead the textile industry into a more sustainable future. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graduate<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What has your job search been like so far?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve heard — and have somewhat seen — that whatever industry you are in after your first three to five years, it will be very hard to switch later in your career. Since I had spent technically two of my years in thermal protective equipment, I figured that this was my chance to try and pursue the dream and get into the athletic and outdoor industry, as well as try my hand out west. So, I had spent essentially the entire summer finding and applying for jobs up and down the West Coast. I came up with a few hits, but unfortunately, came up just short. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Running out of time, I opened my search to positions all over the country and in other industries. I got an amazing job offer at a company in Raleigh — one that I was literally 12 hours from accepting — but at the last minute, my girlfriend got a job offer out in Portland. We had been doing long distance for about a year and a half (she lived in Charleston while I was in grad school) and we wanted to be in the same city, but also wanted to try out the West Coast. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opportunity to move that far and experience a new region does not happen often, and we knew that we had to jump on not only the chance to move, but jump on the chance for my girlfriend to work at a dream company — <\/span>Nike<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell us about the research you were able to conduct during graduate school.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I worked in the <\/span>Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/span><\/a> (TPACC) under the direction of [TECS professor] <\/span>Dr. Bryan Ormond<\/span><\/a>. He was a great advisor, and anyone working under him is extremely lucky and will not only find an amazing mentor but also a great friend.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The firefighter community has been hit hard with an increased number of firefighters who have become diagnosed with cancer largely attributed to on-duty exposures. A study conducted in 2015 showed that there was ample opportunity for soot and smoke from on-duty exposures to penetrate the firefighter turnout gear, especially around the head and neck areas. The particulates in soot and smoke have been shown to contain carcinogenic substances; therefore, the <\/span>National Fire Protection Association<\/span><\/a> (NFPA), nonprofit organization looking to mitigate loss due to fire, added an optional particulate-blocking layer for firefighter protective hoods into the standard that governs turnout gear. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were many parts and pieces to this project; I think we had six graduate students all looking at different facets of this project at one time. My part of the project was to look specifically at how the thermal protection may or may not be affected by the addition of a particulate-blocking layer. The worst-case scenario for firefighters is to be caught in what is called a \u201cflashover\u201d or \u201cflashfire\u201d — an emergency situation for firefighters where they can receive burns within seconds and temperatures can reach anywhere from 800-1200 degrees Celsius (1500-2200 degrees Fahrenheit) and above. It was my job to determine if the testing method used an adequate representation of performance under flashfire conditions, if the minimum performance requirement for thermal protection was satisfactory, and then piece together my findings with everyone else. I was able to test different configurations of commercially available and unavailable hoods and materials using test methods that only test fabrics, as well as a garment test method called PyroHead\u2122, which is a little brother to the famous <\/span>PyroMan\u2122<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
You won the Rieter Award in 2016. Tell us about that experience.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rieter Award is an annual international award given to students in textile technology by the Swiss company <\/span>Rieter<\/span><\/a>, a producer of textile machinery. Its purpose is to support textile technology institutions and promote the global network the textile community has become.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What was your time like at the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I played a lot of intramural sports, sometimes playing in three to four leagues at one time. I was in Kappa Tau Beta and Sigma Tau Sigma, and was in an a cappella group called <\/span>Acappology<\/span><\/a> from my sophomore year through my first semester of graduate school. A few months after I left Acappology, I joined a semi-professional a cappella group (basically just people in their careers who still want to do a cappella) called Triadic. Shameless plug: both groups are on Spotify and Apple Music if you want to check them out, and I may or may not be solo on an Acappology track \ud83d\ude0a <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the future of textiles with regard to your corner of the industry?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you do for fun? What are some of your favorite movies, etc.?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What did I not ask that you want to share?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nigel Carlton<\/span><\/a> grew up in Alamance County, the historic heart of North Carolina\u2019s textile industry, and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with his girlfriend, alumna Brooke Anderson (TE \u201817). He earned a <\/span>Bachelor of Science in Textile Engineering<\/span><\/a> from the <\/span>Wilson College of Textiles<\/span><\/a> in 2017 and a <\/span>Master of Science in Textile Engineering<\/span><\/a> in 2019; while in school, he interned at <\/span>Cotton Incorporated<\/span><\/a>, served as a resident advisor, was a member of the textile honors society Sigma Tau Sigma and <\/span>Kappa Tau Beta Leadership Fraternity<\/span><\/a>, and worked as a graduate research assistant with the <\/span>Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/span><\/a> (TPACC). He is currently seeking a position with a textile company in Portland, Oregon.<\/del> He recently accepted a position with Nike, working as a material developer in the Trims department.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I came to <\/span>NC State<\/span><\/a> wanting to pursue an engineering degree but wasn\u2019t sure which one, so I went into the First Year College (now <\/span>Exploratory Studies<\/span><\/a>) to figure it out. My advisor knew that I grew up playing sports and suggested that I put my interest in sports and engineering together and pursue Textile Engineering.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What did you want to be when you were a kid?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
How did Wilson College of Textiles prepare you for your career? <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undergraduate<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since it is the only textiles specific program in the U.S., and arguably the best in the world, Wilson College is extremely unique. For someone whose goal is to stay in the textile industry, I can only see a degree from Wilson College as a leg up on literally everyone else, because more than likely, they didn\u2019t have a background in textiles and are going to have to learn most of, if not all the terminology, conversions and adaptive mindset that every student graduating with a degree from Wilson College will already have or be familiar with. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know that Wilson College is growing, but the fact that we had small enough class sizes that you could [develop] a relationship with a professor was everything. Not just because they could help you out with a concept you aren\u2019t sure of, but mainly because just about every faculty member there is world class in nearly every textile field possible. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a few examples [from the Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science<\/a> (TECS)]: <\/span>Dr. Martin King<\/span><\/a> is basically the godfather of medical textiles; anything military or first responder wearable-related goes through <\/span>Dr. Roger Barker<\/span><\/a> and the rest of TPACC; <\/span>Dr. Jeffrey Joines<\/span><\/a> is one of the best minds in simulation and efficiency, and <\/span>Dr. Karen Leonas<\/span><\/a> is at the forefront of helping lead the textile industry into a more sustainable future. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Graduate<\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What has your job search been like so far?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve heard -- and have somewhat seen -- that whatever industry you are in after your first three to five years, it will be very hard to switch later in your career. Since I had spent technically two of my years in thermal protective equipment, I figured that this was my chance to try and pursue the dream and get into the athletic and outdoor industry, as well as try my hand out west. So, I had spent essentially the entire summer finding and applying for jobs up and down the West Coast. I came up with a few hits, but unfortunately, came up just short. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Running out of time, I opened my search to positions all over the country and in other industries. I got an amazing job offer at a company in Raleigh -- one that I was literally 12 hours from accepting -- but at the last minute, my girlfriend got a job offer out in Portland. We had been doing long distance for about a year and a half (she lived in Charleston while I was in grad school) and we wanted to be in the same city, but also wanted to try out the West Coast. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The opportunity to move that far and experience a new region does not happen often, and we knew that we had to jump on not only the chance to move, but jump on the chance for my girlfriend to work at a dream company -- <\/span>Nike<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tell us about the research you were able to conduct during graduate school.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I worked in the <\/span>Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/span><\/a> (TPACC) under the direction of [TECS professor] <\/span>Dr. Bryan Ormond<\/span><\/a>. He was a great advisor, and anyone working under him is extremely lucky and will not only find an amazing mentor but also a great friend.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The firefighter community has been hit hard with an increased number of firefighters who have become diagnosed with cancer largely attributed to on-duty exposures. A study conducted in 2015 showed that there was ample opportunity for soot and smoke from on-duty exposures to penetrate the firefighter turnout gear, especially around the head and neck areas. The particulates in soot and smoke have been shown to contain carcinogenic substances; therefore, the <\/span>National Fire Protection Association<\/span><\/a> (NFPA), nonprofit organization looking to mitigate loss due to fire, added an optional particulate-blocking layer for firefighter protective hoods into the standard that governs turnout gear. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were many parts and pieces to this project; I think we had six graduate students all looking at different facets of this project at one time. My part of the project was to look specifically at how the thermal protection may or may not be affected by the addition of a particulate-blocking layer. The worst-case scenario for firefighters is to be caught in what is called a \u201cflashover\u201d or \u201cflashfire\u201d -- an emergency situation for firefighters where they can receive burns within seconds and temperatures can reach anywhere from 800-1200 degrees Celsius (1500-2200 degrees Fahrenheit) and above. It was my job to determine if the testing method used an adequate representation of performance under flashfire conditions, if the minimum performance requirement for thermal protection was satisfactory, and then piece together my findings with everyone else. I was able to test different configurations of commercially available and unavailable hoods and materials using test methods that only test fabrics, as well as a garment test method called PyroHead\u2122, which is a little brother to the famous <\/span>PyroMan\u2122<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
You won the Rieter Award in 2016. Tell us about that experience.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rieter Award is an annual international award given to students in textile technology by the Swiss company <\/span>Rieter<\/span><\/a>, a producer of textile machinery. Its purpose is to support textile technology institutions and promote the global network the textile community has become.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What was your time like at the Wilson College of Textiles?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
I played a lot of intramural sports, sometimes playing in three to four leagues at one time. I was in Kappa Tau Beta and Sigma Tau Sigma, and was in an a cappella group called <\/span>Acappology<\/span><\/a> from my sophomore year through my first semester of graduate school. A few months after I left Acappology, I joined a semi-professional a cappella group (basically just people in their careers who still want to do a cappella) called Triadic. Shameless plug: both groups are on Spotify and Apple Music if you want to check them out, and I may or may not be solo on an Acappology track \ud83d\ude0a <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is the future of textiles with regard to your corner of the industry?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you do for fun? What are some of your favorite movies, etc.?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
What did I not ask that you want to share?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n