Šárka Mikmeková, a graduate of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, is not an iron lady, but a "steel lady". For a native of Třinec, the steelworks seem to be predestined: she has five years of experience in one of the largest steel companies in the world and she can talk about steel directly poetically. Today, she and her team at the Institute of Instrumentation of the Academy of Sciences are developing new methods for classifying steels. And it is no coincidence that FME graduates are in her research group.

You are from Třinec, so was the focus on steel research a clear choice from the beginning?

We are born as steelworkers! The truth is, I have a big relationship to steel, steel has fed my whole family. But our region does not consist just of ironworks, it is a distinctive region with beautiful hills, we have a specific culture… I have always been drawn to technology, I was good at mathematics and physics, but humanities were not my cup of tea.

But you first studied at Masaryk University in Brno, didn't you?

My parents wanted me to study to be the dentist, but I hate blood. Nevertheless, I also applied for dentistry and at the same time for physics at the Faculty of Science, MU. So I started studying astrophysics, but very soon I realized that it is romantic, but it will be difficult for me to find a job. I decided to keep astrophysics as a hobby and applied to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at BUT.

How did you get into materials research?

I was already interested in that subject during my bachelor's studies, and then I chose materials engineering for my master's degree. The materials complement nicely with solid state physics, which I studied at Masaryk University at the time. Since my bachelor's degree, I have worked at the Institute of Scientific Instruments, where I then stayed.

It was already mentioned that you focus on steel research. What fascinates you so much about it?

We often talk about nanomaterials and modern composites, but almost everything is made of steel: cars, building components, steel can be found everywhere. In addition, today steels are very advanced and modern materials with top nanostructure. I am fascinated by their practicality and variability of use. Unfortunately, for some reason, steel does not sound as attractive as nanomaterials.

Japan, where you have repeatedly returned and spent many years, plays a major role in your scientific career. How did you get there?

I originally went on an internship at Toyama University in Japan during my doctoral studies. I've never heard of it, but it sounded interesting, the local researchers were working on electron microscopy and aluminium and magnesium alloys. This six-month internship was my first experience with Japan.

Did a big cultural impact wait for you?

I was the only foreigner at school. It is necessary to realize that Toyama is not Kyoto or Tokyo, although it is a huge city, but you will hardly come across foreigners there. It was stupid for me that no one was talking to me, so I started learning Japanese, they also paid me a private tutor. After a six-month internship, I returned to the Czech Republic, but then I went to Japan repeatedly. Just before the completion of the doctoral studies, an offer of an internship at the JFE Steel plant came. I went there several times for a short internship and after completing my doctoral studies I was offered the first postdoctoral position; they had never had one there before. I thought I'd try it, and I stayed for five years, later as an employee.

Did you manage to fit into the team?

I was the only foreigner and the only woman there. I'm quite a quiet and practical type, I don't have sharp elbows, and I think that suits them. It helped me a lot that I was already familiar with the language and culture. No one solved that I was a woman, it was enough that I was a foreigner. The Japanese quite like foreigners, but you will never completely fit in with them, you will always be a foreigner.

On the contrary, what good did you get from Japanese culture?

Perhaps belonging. At first I was terribly annoyed by wearing uniforms and daily warm-ups, but later I found it nice to be part of the team, they were like my family. When I was sick, my colleagues visited me and cooked for me, it was common there. Or when a colleague died, we got together and paid for the funeral, or gave some money to his wife so she wouldn't be in need. People stick together, they are not competitive, they do not have sharp elbows. Modesty and respect are valued. Although sometimes decency can only be played because the Japanese are very formal, no one will put you in an awkward situation. Even the language is built so, Japanese can't say much “no”. When someone asks you if you go to the movies tonight, you can't say no, because Japanese doesn't have the term, there are only circumlocutions. You can't reject anyone hard; your tongue won't let you.

Are you continuing the research you started in Japan in Brno?

I follow it up, I'm still working on the development of new techniques for displaying the structure of steel, but we've recently taken on artificial intelligence, specifically deep-learning methods, for help. Our goal is to develop an objective technique for classifying the structure of steels. At present, the classification is purely subjective: one has to prepare a sample, for example by etching, and then looks at it, but it is subjective and a lot depends on the experience of the metallographer. There is no objective and repeatable method to compare the results. We want to develop a technique that would allow objective classification.

How do you want to achieve this?

First of all, the sample would not be prepared by a human, but by a robot, so we also focus on robotics and automation of the entire process. At the same time, we are working on software that would use objective intelligence to objectively evaluate the sample. So you would not need any qualified person to prepare the sample or evaluate the structure, but you would have an objective result that could be compared with any other.

You have your own research group at the institute. How big team is working on the development?

In addition to me, there are four other colleagues in my team and we also work with my sister's team – I have a twin, my sister Eliška, who also leads her own team at our institute. So there are eight of us in total. We need to be multidisciplinary, we have represented metallography, electron microscopy, robotics and artificial intelligence methods.

You also have graduates from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in your team, don't you?

Everyone in my group are my students and I boast of them whenever I can. They are independent, hardworking and polite. I try to treat students with respect and dignity, for example, I would never allow myself to be on first-name terms with them because I hold them in high esteem. I try to involve them in everything, even in writing new projects, I draw from the fact that they are young and see the issue differently than I do. All four are from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, someone from materials, physics, automation or mechatronics. In fact, we are all from different fields in the team, which is great because we enrich each other.