Spartan Profiles: Pat Slaven

THE DESTROYER

            Once someone asked her what she did. 'I destroy things,' she replied with a maniacal smile. And in fact, that’s what Pat Slaven, ’78, does everyday at the Consumer Reports’ national testing center in Yonkers, NY. 'I destroy things in a very statistical and quantifiable manner so that we can acquire information that is useful for consumers,' explains Slaven, who heads the chemicals and textiles department and who once designed a machine to rip the arms off recliners. 'Here we test condoms, toilet paper, lipstick, blue jeans, paint, sun lotion, luggage - anything that involves chemicals or textiles.'

            After working 10 years in California as a chemical engineer with an oil refinery, Pat quit to pursue a master’s degree in textiles, a field she considered her avocation. In 1995, she landed a position with Consumers Union - which publishes Consumers Reports. She calls 'an ideal fit for my two degrees.'

            She works with instruments like an Instron, which can test the tensile strength of a hair or a steel beam. 'Ultimately we want to help consumers make more informed decisions when choosing products in the marketplace,' says Pat. 'We also help consumers know what questions they should be asking. It’s fun stuff.'

            Fun was not something she had at MSU, where, she recalls, 'as an engineering student, I focused on studying, and the only time I partied was after my finals.' Pat touts MSU’s College of Engineering for being 'amiable to women,' by contrast to Michigan, where she began her studies before transferring. 'I had great professors at MSU who knew who I was,' she says. 'At U-M, we knew our grad assistants, but not the profs. It was wonderful having profs who knew who you were. My MSU degree has been good to me.'

            She has discovered many interesting things in examining consumer products. 'One example is when you buy jeans,' she notes. 'Our testing shows that after washing and drying, they will shrink lengthwise'.