calendar

electronic newsletters

alumni events

Structure—DMSE's newsletter for alumni and friends

January 2001

LATEX HEALTH EFFECTS HIGHLIGHTED IN RECENT TALK

By Prof. Claude Lupis, DMSE Chemical Hygiene and Safety Officer

In reference to safety in the lab, I attended recently an interesting talk on the diagnosis and management of latex allergy, which was presented by Robert McCunney, MD and Director of Occupational Medicine at MIT. Here are some highlights which may be of interest to you or to some members of your group.

which can be worsened by the effects of the additives. Most people will come in contact with latex through the use of gloves, but latex is also often encountered in tubes, masks, etc.

to manage and may be classified in the category of "irritation" rather than "allergy". Cases of real allergy are fewer, but still in the order of 2%, and much more serious. Contact urticaria (similar clinical appearance to skin irritation) is the most common manifestation and most predictive of latex allergy, but rhino-conjunctivitis, asthma and anaphylaxis can also occur.

People with asthma are more at risk. Also note that it is possible to be indirectly exposed to latex. Cornstarch (as a replacement for talc) is added to most latex gloves to facilitate donning. The airborne particles of cornstarch are contaminated with the proteins of latex and will therefore affect people in the lab who are not using the gloves but have coworkers who are. Of course, the use of alternative gloves should then be considered, e.g., vinyl or neoprene.

Do not hesitate to contact me (or Dr. McCunney) if you need further information.

Claude Lupis, DMSE Chemical Hygiene and Safety Officer.
EMAIL: lupis@MIT.EDU
TEL: (617) 258-0774
OFFICE: 8-237

MIT L I B R A R I E S NEWS

MSE STUDENTS

MIT Libraries "Dspace" Project

Want to give us your input for a new MIT service that will bring you access to MIT research? DSpace (http://web.mit.edu/dspace/) will provide web access to articles, technical reports, working papers, conference papers, images, datasets and rich media works produced at MIT.

We are building this system now, and would be especially interested in your input, since we expect graduate students to be both contributors of content and end users of this system.

Please help us by sharing your views and preferences through a short survey at http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?T356W0KVAKLP3HDLPG3S366M

For further information about Dspace visit their website (below) and contact:

Margret Branschofsky, Faculty Liaison
Dspace Project
MIT Libraries
TEL: (617)253-1293
EMAIL: margretb@mit.edu
WEB: http://web.mit.edu/dspace

MIT OPPORTUNITIES

HIGH SCHOOL STUDIES PROGRAM

Spring, 2001

A Project of the MIT Educational Studies Program

Do you want to teach? Have you always wanted to teach something fun, or share a hobby with others, but never had the opportunity? This is your chance!

Saturdays, March 10th - May 12th

Ten consecutive Saturdays, for a two-hour block (morning, midday, or afternoon), teach a class of your design!

Teach photography! Poetry! Java! French! Chemistry! Engineering Design! Juggling! Dance! Programming! Card Tricks! Leadership! TV! Religion! Aeronautics! Particle Physics! Genetics! Entrepreneurship! Ethics!

TEACH ANYTHING YOU WANT

INFORMTATION CONTACT:
Shereen S. Katrak
EMAIL: shereen@mit.edu

For more about teaching opportunities through MIT HSSP...
http://web.mit.edu/edsp/www/

P R E D O C OPPORTUNITIES

UNDERGRADUATE MATERIALS SCHOLARSHIPS

ASM International Foundation
Materials Park, Ohio

WHAT: Undergraduate Scholarships available to materials science students

TOTAL AWARDS DISTRIBUTION:

$500.00 (10 awards)
$1,000.00 (12 awards)
$2,000.00 (3 awards)
$6,000.00 (10 awards)
Full tuition of up to $10,000 (1 award)
Full tuition (1 award)

ELIGIBILITY: Undergraduate students, who are currently members of ASM International.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 1,2001
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Please visit the ASM International website at:

http://www.asminternational.org/foundation

OR CONTACT:

Pergentina L. Deatherage
Administrator, Foundation Programs
ASM International Foundation
Materials Park, OH 44073

TEL: (800) 336-5152, Ext. 5533/FAX: (440) 338-4634

EMAIL: jdeather@asminternational.org

P O S T D O C OPPORTUNITIES

YOUNG RESEARCHERS PROGRAM

MIT France Program
MIT International Science and Technology Initiative (MISTI)
Sylvain Ferrari, Program Coordinator

Program Description: As an incentive for young MIT researchers to conduct part of their research in France's leading laboratories and develop their own international scientific network, the French Government awards various doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships. This program intends to bring together emerging talents from both sides of the Atlantic to participate in research collaborations between French and MIT laboratories. For the 2001-2002 academic year, ten fellowships will be available to young MIT researchers. These fellowships are compatible with other financial support fellows may obtain.

FELLOWSHIPS AVAILABLE

CHATEAUBRIAND FELLOWSHIP (5)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Fellowship Description

+++++++++++++++

Subjects: All scientific disciplines.
Place of research: French University, school of engineering or in a public or private laboratory.

Open to: American citizens, Ph.D. students or Ph.D. graduates (within 3 years since thesis completion) currently enrolled at MIT. Candidates must obtain an agreement from a host laboratory before applying.

Duration: a 6 to 12 month period.

Value: 10,700FF per month for doctoral fellows, or 12,600FF per month for post-doctoral fellows. Round-trip airfare and health insurance abroad provided for all fellows.

Application Deadline: December 25, 2000 (extended for MIT).

For further information...

http://www.chateaubriand.amb-wash.fr

HUMANITIES FELLOWSHIP

Fellowship Description

+++++++++++++++

Subjects: All humanities and social science disciplines.

Place of research: a French research institution (universities, museums, CNRS...).

Open to: Applicants must be U.S. citizens enrolled in a Ph.D. program at MIT.

Duration: 9 months

Value: 8,700FF per month, health insurance, a round trip ticket to France.

Application Deadline: January 15, 2001.

For further information...

http://www.frenchculture.org/education/

POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP (5)

Ministry of Research

Fellowship Description

+++++++++++++++

Subjects: all research fields.

Place of research: a research laboratory in a French school or institute.

Open to: young researchers at the post-doctoral level, of all nationalities, currently working in a MIT-related laboratory. The host laboratory must submit applications.

Duration: 12 months

Value: 12,000FF per month, health insurance. Travel expenses are not included.

Application Deadline: February 28, 2001.

For more information...

http://www.recherche.gouv.fr/recherche/internat/2000/posdoc.rtf

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Sylvain Ferrari, MIT France Program Coordinator

MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI)

Room E38-755,

TEL: (617) 253 8095/FAX: (617) 258 7432

EMAIL: sferrari@mit.edu

For more about the MIT France Program...

http://web.mit.edu/mit-france/www

October 2000

DEPARTMENT NEWS

EDUCATION INITIATIVES AWARDED CLASS FUND SUPPORT

Two undergrad education initiatives involving DMSE faculty were recently among seven from across MIT, that were selected for funding by three alumni class funds; The Class of 1951 Fund for Excellence in Education,Class of 1955 Fund for Excellence in Teaching and the Class of 1972 Fund for Educational Innovation. These two initiatives, "Essentials of Engineering", led by DMSE Prof. Thomas Eagar and Leaders for Manufacturing (LFM) Co-director Paul Lagace, and "Environmental Case Study Development" led by Chemistry Prof. Jeffrey Steinfeld, DMSE Prof. Donald Sadoway and Center for Environmental Initiatives (CEI) Post Doctoral Assistant Matthew Gardner, were selected based upon their creative and innovative approaches to the improvement of undergraduate education and teaching. "Essentials of Engineering" will help create the first undergraduate subject to be offered by the new Engineering Systems Division. Essentials of Engineering will be a second-term freshman elective designed to permit investigation of different disciplines through case studies of the development of major engineering systems. Faculty from several engineering departments will contribute to class projects aimed at developing the skills needed for effective engineering communication and leadership. "Environmental Case Study Development" will work towards the creation of a curriculum using the wide-ranging research programs currently underway within the CEI. The results of this research, incorporated into classroom teaching in 3.091 Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry and 5.23 Atmospheric Chemistry, will allow students to examine a series of case studies that emphasize the connections between theory and practice, to help build awareness of industrial impact on the natural environment. Project proposals for the 2001-2002 academic year will be solicited early in the spring term. Faculty who have questions should contact Peggy Enders, co-director of Academic Services and associate dean of curriculum support in the Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education.

3.091 TUTORS NEEDED! You can make a little money on the side and help (mostly) freshmen by sharing your knowledge: BE A 3.091 TUTOR!! Subject 3.091, Introduction to Solid State Chemistry, is one of the (primarily) two subjects undergraduates can take to meet the Institute's chemistry requirement. Professor Sadoway is in charge of this large class (over 400 students this term) with the assistance of 12 TA's and 2 staff. There are already students requesting tutoring; the first quiz is October 2nd. WE NEED TUTORS!! PAY: $10.00 per hour.* The tutoring that we offer to the 3.091 students is one-on-one sessions. At this time it is necessary for us to limit the amount of time devoted to each student with a tutor to one hour per week. For further information on the subject matter covered in 3.091, we have a website from which you can gather a great deal of information about the course (be sure to check the "Course Calendar" for the schedule of lectures and reading assignments and the "Homework, Quizzes and Tests" link for .pdf and .ps files of the actual assignments). FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT 3.091.... Please contact Prof. Sadoway (TEL: 3-3487/EMAIL: dsadoway@mit.edu) PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TUTORING, I would appreciate it if you would get back to me at your earliest convenience and let me know what your available times would be to offer tutoring as well as the number of students you would like to take on. We hope you will consider providing this essential service. The most important thing right now, if you are interested in this assignment, is for you to let me know your available times for tutoring and how many students you would like to work with. I will match you with students very soon. *International students may not be allowed to work for pay. Thanks a lot! Gloria Landahl of 3.091 TEL: (617) 452-2087/ FAX: (617) 253-5418 EMAIL: glandahl@mit.edu

GRADERS NEEDED FOR COURSE 3.11! TERM: Fall 2000 TASKS: Grade 10-12 weekly problem sets. QUALIFICATIONS: Seeking either a graduate student working in the area of mechanical properties of materials OR an undergraduate who received a grade of A in 3.11. If interested, please contact: Prof. Lorna Gibson OFFICE: 8-135 TEL: (617) 253-7107/FAX (617) 258-6275

FALL 2000 FINAL EXAMINATION SCHEDULE The Fall 2000 Final Examination Schedule is now available on the Web both in HTML format and in a searchable PDF version (requires Acrobat Reader). Printed copies of the Final Exam Schedule can be picked up at the following locations: Student Services Center, 11-120 Academic Resource Center, 7-104 Information Center, 7-121 Registrar's Office, 11-268 Schedules Office, 7-131 The Schedules Office will also mail a printed copy of the Final Exam Schedule directly to all faculty. If you have any questions, please contact the Schedules Office, TEL: 253-4788/ EMAIL: schedules@mit.edu

CAREER WORKSHOPS OCTOBER 2000

MIT Office of Career Services & Preprofesional Advising

Mon 10/2 Winning Interview Techniques, 3:00-4:30 PM

Fri 10/13 Smart Resumes, Cover Letters, and CV's, 3-4:30 PM

Mon 10/16 Winning Interview Techniques, 2-3:30 PM

Tues 10/17 Navigating The Job & Internship Market: Effective Search Strategies, 2:00-3:30 PM

Fri 10/ 20 For Graduate Students Self Assessment: Step One In The Career Planning Process, 1:30-3:30 PM

Mon 10/23 Winning Interview Techniques, 1:30-3:00 PM

Tues 10/24 Online Search Strategies: Making The Internet Work For You, 2-3:30 PM

Fri 10/27 Medical School Essay Writing, 12:00-1:30 PM

SPACE IS LIMITED!! PREREGISTRATION REQUIRED. For more information please contact: Hannah Bernstein, Assistant Director MIT Office of Career Services and Preprofessional Advising 12-170 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 TEL: (617)253-4733/FAX: (617)253-8457

UNDERGRAD THESIS OPPORTUNITY

Modelling of the Tractional Forces at the Vitreo-Retinal Interface Prof. Bob Rose received this request from a former student, Dr. Robert Park (see below). If you are interested in pursuing this topic as an SB thesis with Prof. Rose and Dr. Park as your co-supervisors, please contact Dr. Park (RPARK@eyeboston.com): Modelling of the Tractional Forces at the Vitreo-Retinal Interface The posterior (back) of the eye is composed of 3 layers (think -3 balloons) each inside the next) which are responsible for conversion of light to an electrical signal which is transmitted to the brain. The innermost layer layer is called the retina and is composed of photoreceptors and neural tissue which connects to the brain. The center of the posterior of the eye is composed of a gel, the vitreous. Traction from the vitreous on the retina can cause tears and breaks in the retina which can cause retinal detachment requiring surgery. The goal of this project is to determine the magnitude of the forces applied to the vitreo-retinal interface during various activities. This will require quantification of forces applied to the eye and computer modelling of the eye and V-R interface. The information gleaned from this study will be used to guide the day to day, preoperative, and postoperative restrictions placed on patients with vitreo-retinal pathology.

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE Your news items, faculty and student distinctions, as well as announcements, job postings and other information for the DMSE community are invited for the upcoming November issue! Here are the dates for the Fall issues of DMSE News: Fall DMSE News Deadlines: Submission Deadline Transmitted On NOV 2000 Mon, Oct 30,2000 Mon, Nov 6,2000 DEC 2000 Mon, Nov 27,2000 Mon, Dec 1,2000

THANKS TO: Prof. Samuel Allen, Kevin Chen, Dwayne Daughtry, Kathy Farrell, Prof. Lorna Gibson, Helen Halaris, Gloria Landahl, Leslie Lawrence, Chris Musso, Makiko Okuma, Aaron Raphel, Prof. Donald Sadoway, and Gina Yu, for their contributions to this month's DMSE News!!

September 2000

DEPARTMENT NEWS

SURESH RECEIVES TMS 2001 DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST/ENGINEER AWARD! Subra Suresh, R. P. Simmons Professor and Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been selected to receive the Distinguished Scientist/Engineer Award of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS). The award recognizes an individual who has made a long-lasting contribution to the fundamental understanding of microstructure, properties and performance of structural materials for industrial applications. The award will be presented during the TMS Annual Meeting in New Orleans in February 2001. Suresh is a recipient of a number of prior honors from TMS which include: the Robert Lansing Hardy Gold Medal in 1983, ("for exceptional promise of a successful career in the broad field of materials"), the Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal in 1985 (for the most notable papers published in the TMS journals), and selection by TMS in 2000 to be a Fellow, which is an honor held at any time by only a hundred living members of TMS from among a worldwide membership of nearly 10,000 ("for pioneering contributions to the understanding of the mechanical properties of materials and for leadership in materials education").

D E P A R T M E N T NOTICES

SOCIETY FOR BIOMATERIALS FALL SOCIAL Thursday, September 7th * 4-6 pm Walker Memorial Terrace You are invited to enjoy pizza, ice cream, snacks and drinks as SBM kicks off the semester! Walker Dining Hall is adjacent to the Humanities & Sciences Libraries. You need not be an SBM member to join us. However, plenty of Biomaterials faculty and grad students will be on hand to fill you in on classes/research if you're interested. Hope to see you there!

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE

Your news items, faculty and student distinctions, as well as announcements, job postings and other information for the DMSE community are invited for the upcoming October issue! Here are the dates for the Fall issues of DMSE News: Fall DMSE News Deadlines: Submission Deadline Transmitted On OCT 2000 Mon, Sept 25,2000 Mon, Oct 2,2000 NOV 2000 Mon, Oct 30,2000 Mon, Nov 6,2000 DEC 2000 Mon, Nov 27,2000 Mon, Dec 1,2000

THANKS TO: Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang, Prof. Tom Eagar, Stavros Fountoulakis, Kenneth Greene, Brent Ridley, Prof. Subra Suresh, Prof. Ned Thomas, Prof. Harry Tuller, Krysten Van Vliet, and Chris Wyckoff for their contributions to this month's DMSE News!!

August 2000

DEPARTMENT NEWS 

TEACHER ED PROGRAM FOUNDED BY LATANISION SPOTLIGHTED MIT's Science and Engineering Program for Teachers (SEPT), founded by DMSE Prof. Ronald M. Latanision, was spotlighted in the July 12th edition of Tech Talk. The Program provides intensive summer learning opportunities for middle and high school teachers of Science, Engineering and Technology including attendance at a week-long series of presentations by MIT Professors. This year, SEPT participants attended talks by thirty MIT professors, on a wide variety of subjects ranging from the frontiers of physics and biology to artificial intelligence and transportation systems. Representing 20 states as well as Argentina, Brazil and Lebanon, participants posed intriguing questions for presenters. Once these teachers complete the MIT program, they are granted membership in the Network of Educators in Science and Technology (NEST), the goal of which is to enhance scientific, mathematical and technological literacy. Prof. Latanision founded the Science and Engineering Program to provide educators with a different perspective on the subjects they teach. Congratulations to Prof. Latanision on the continued success and growth of the MIT Science and Engineering Program for Teachers! 

ASO WELCOMES CHARLOTTE PEED The Administrative Services Organization welcomes Charlotte Peed, who started working in a shared position with Angelita Mireles beginning on Monday, July 24th. Charlotte has worked at MIT since 1979, in a number of Departments, including DMSE, Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Architecture, the Shakespeare Ensemble, and the Technology and Policy Program. Charlotte also has a degree in Theatre and English,and has also studied music dance and computers. Charlotte's experience, know-how and friendly personality will be a great asset to our Organization and those we serve. Please join us in welcoming Charlotte to our community! CONTACT INFO: Charlotte Peed TEL: (617) 253-4568/FAX: 9617) 253-9894 EMAIL: clpeed@mit.edu 

June 2000

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

MIT PROMOTES FIVE FROM DMSE Promotions were recently granted to five DMSE faculty members, effective July 1, 2000. Advancing from the rank of Associate to Full Professor will be Profs. Gerbrand Ceder, Eugene A. Fitzgerald and Dorothy Hosler. Promotions from the rank of Assistant to Associate Professor were granted to Profs. Caroline Ross and Chris Scott. Congratulations to our faculty on this important recognition of their hard work and dedication to the Institute's research and educational mission!

STUDENT DISTINCTIONS

EIGHT FROM DMSE EARN HONORS AT PPST POSTER COMPETITION Congratulations to eight DMSE participants in the Third Annual BP Amoco/PPST Poster Competition which was held on April 19,2000. Over 80 people attended the event with 32 graduate students and post docs vieing for cash prizes. DMSE had the following winners in each prize category:
Best in Show - Post doc: Dr. Bo Chen 
Best in Show - Grad student: Catherine Santini
Technical Creativity - Grad student: Jung-Sheng Wu
Contribution to Scientific Knowledge - Grad. student: Ariya Akthakul 
There were also four Honorable Mention Prizes: Mitch Anthamatten, Jonathan Hester, Jinsang Kim, Jonas Mendelsohn
Kudos to all our prize winning presenters!

DeWALLE WINS MRS GOLD MEDAL AWARD Axel Van de Walle, a graduate student in Prof. Gerbrand Ceder's group, won a Gold Medal Graduate Student Award at the recent MRS meeting in San Francisco. He was one of only five students to receive that award. His work has focused on the first principles computation of phase diagrams, and more specifically on assessing the effects of lattice vibrations on phase stability. Congratulations, Axel on this prominent award!

DEPARTMENT NEWS

DMSE HONORS ELEVEN! MIT News Office The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE) gave out awards to 10 students and a faculty member. Outstanding Senior Thesis Awards went to Billie Wang of New Canaan, CT ("First Principles Study of the Magnetic Ground State and Thermodynamic Properties of LixMnO2") and Michael Tarkanian of Brockton, MA ("3,500 Years Before Goodyear: Rubber Processing in Ancient Mesoamerica"). Paulina Kuo of Great Falls, VA won the Best 3B Internship Report Award ("Dynamic Tuning of Fiber Gratings with Thin FilmHeaters"). Certificates of honor for achieving a perfect 5.0 grade point average were given to seniors Harald Hoegh of Oslo, Norway; Paulina Kuo; Garry Maskaly of New Milford, PA; and Aaron Raphel of Dedham, MA. Foundry Education Foundation Scholarships for Outstanding Students with an Interest in Metals Casting were presented to juniors Robin Ivester of Charleston, SC and Nicole Zacharia of Hinsdale, IL. Juniors Melissa Light of Parkland, FL and Albert Hung of Los Altos, CA received Awards for Outstanding Service to the DMSE Community. Pauline Kuo was named Outstanding Student in the DMSE Class of 2000. The John Wulff Award for Excellence in Teaching went to graduate student Erin Lavik of McLean, VA. Congratulations and best wishes to all the department's outstanding award winners!

GRADUATING STUDENTS Provided by Gloria Landahl
Congratulations to the following S.M., Ph.D., and Sc.D Course III Graduating Students!!!

Alnuaim, Tareq S.M. 
Arroyave, Raymundo S.M. 
Cantini, Nicolas S.M.
Carroll, Thomas S.M. , M.B.A. XV 
Chan, Vanessa Ph.D.
Cheng, June S.M. 
Conner, Brett S.M. 
Falcon, Michael S.M., M.B.A. XV
Farrey, Gregory S.M.
Fasolka, Michael Ph.D.
Fink, Yoel Ph.D. 
Garcia Munoz, Ramiro S.M.
Gautum, Sumit S.M. 
Giampaoli Papich, Jorge S.M.(also S.M. I)
Gratt, Jason Ph.D.
Hau-Riege, Christine S. Ph.D 
Hau-Riege, Stefan P. Ph.D 
Henry, Christopher S.M. and S.M. ESD: TPP Technology and Policy Hong,
Mon-Fen S.M. and S.M. ESD Technology and Policy
Irvine, Darrell J. Ph.D. 
Jang, Young-Il Ph.D 
Jen, Sandy S.M.
Kesler, Olivera Sc.D.
Kim, Andrew Y. Ph.D
Kong, Jiang-Ti S.M. 
Man, Alice Ph.D.
Murray, Steven Ph.D. 
Nair, Bindu Ph.D 
Nugent, Thomas Ph.D. 
Ortiz, Luis Sc.D 
Panchula, Martin Ph.D. 
Park, Miriam S.M. (also S.M. XV)
Phanse, Vivek M S.M. (also S.M. XV)
Ratnagiri, Ramabhadra Ph.D. 
Ruzette, Anne-Valerie Ph.D.
Schlienger, Gilles S.M.
Seleznev, Igor L. S.M. 
Simington, Maureen F. S.M. (also S.M. XV)
Soo, Philip Ph.D.
Tanaka, Clifford Ph.D.
van de Walle, Axel Ph.D. 
Wolkenberg, Brian S.M. (also S.M. XV)
Zheng, Yu Ph.D.

May 2000 

STUDENT DISTINCTIONS

HONORS FOR TWO IN FITZGERALD LAB! Jessica Lai Seleced for DOD Fellowship Jessica Lai, whose research in Prof. Gene Fitzgerald's lab, involves the CVD growth of SiGe heterostructures for high performance field effect transistors, was recently selected to receive a DOD Fellowship. 

Andrew Kim Wins TMS Electronic Materials Best Student Presentation Award Andrew Kim recently received a Best Student Presentation Award from the TMS Electronic Materials Committee. The TMS/IEEE Electronic Materials Conference is held every June, and is considered the premier electronic materials conference. Andy received the award for his talk last summer which covered his thesis research: relaxed InGaP/GaP materials and visible transparent susbtrate LEDs. The conference had over 500 attendees, with over 70 student presentations. Congratulations to Andrew and Jessica on these hard earned honors! 

DEPARTMENT NEWS

THREE FROM DMSE INDUCTED INTO QUARTER CENTURY CLUB Congratulations to DMSE Professors Sam Allen, Ron Latanision and David Roylance and to John Centorino, Project Technician and Janez Megusar, Research Associate both of the Materials Processing Center, on their recent induction into MIT's honorary society for employees who have provided 25 years of service to the Institute! Allen, Latanision, Roylance, Centorino and Megusar, were among one hundred and two new members of the Quarter Century Club who were inducted at a March 29 Faculty Club luncheon. QCC board member Anthony P. French, professor of physics, served as master of ceremonies. Chancellor Lawrence S. Bacow was this year's guest speaker. The 102 new members (down slightly from last year's group of 107) included 25 women and 77 men. Eighty-one inductees are from campus and 21 from Lincoln Lab. According to the QCC database, there are approximately 2,834 club members -- 2,324 men and 510 women. 

ALUMNI/AE NEWS

BAVERSTAM ASSOCIATES OPENS NEW GENEVA OFFICE Per Baverstam, 1982 Ph.D. graduate of MIT DMSE, and founder of Baverstam Associates headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, reports that the firm has recently opened their new European office in Geneva, Switzerland. Geneva was chosen for its location at the heart of Europe, and its multi-lingual work force. Baverstam Associates' primary focus is on supplying technology intelligence and analysis in the areas of advanced materials and components. Baverstam Associates is proud to count several MIT DMSE graduates among its staff. We're happy to hear from Dr. Baverstam and share in the good news! 

April 2000

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

KIMERLING, SURESH RECEIVE HIGHEST RECOGNITION FROM TMS AT MARCH MEETING IN NASHVILLE Lionel (Kim) C. Kimerling, the Lord Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Director of the Materials Processing Center, and Subra Suresh, Department Head and R.P. Simmons Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, were elected Fellows of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) at its129th Annual Meeting held in Nashville, Tennessee,during March 12-16, 2000. Kimerling and Suresh are two of the five elected this year to the Fellow grade, the highest honor bestowed by TMS. TMS restricts the total number of Fellows to 100 living members, from among a worldwide membership of approximately 10,000. Kimerling, a former President of TMS, was elected "for his outstanding basic and applied research on defects in semiconductors and for his professional and academic leadership in the field of electronic materials." Suresh was cited for "pioneering contributions to the understanding of mechanical properties and mechanics of materials, and for leadership in materials education." 

FLEMINGS AWARDED TAWARA GOLD MEDAL Congratulations to DMSE Professor Merton Flemings, Toyota Professor of Materials Processing, who received the prestigious Tawara Gold Medal at a special ceremony organized by the Iron and Steel Institute of Japan in late March. The Tawara Gold Medal has been established in commemoration of Dr. Kun-ichi Tawara, the founder of ISIJ in 1965. This award is given to the researcher or engineer who has greatly contributed to the development of the iron and steel industry and technological research and development in the world. It is awarded once every five years to two individuals. 

STUDENT DISTINCTIONS

RIXMAN GARNERS NSF FELLOWSHIP DMSE recognizes recent NSF Fellowship recipient, Grad Student Monica Rixman, a member of Prof. Christine Ortiz's Polymer Mechanics Lab Group. Monica's research involves using high resolution force spectroscopy (HRFS) to study the specific interactions of proteins with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), a material used in a myriad of biomedical devices because of its once presumed resistance to protein aggregation (and hence inflammatory response). Rixman has tethered PEG chains to a gold surface (via thiolate bonds) at a grafting density sufficiently low to essentially isolate individual chains. After studying the molecular elasticity of single PEG chains using HRFS,she will complex human serum albumin (HSA) protein to the polymer chains, and study the changes in compressive and extensive behavior of the PEG due to complexation. By individually varying several parameters, she plans to unravel the details of the elusive protein-PEG complexation that has recently been observed and reported. These NSF fellowships are very competitive and provide substantial tuition and stipend for each of its three-year duration. Congratulations Monica on winning this coveted fellowship! 

DEPARTMENT NEWS

DMSE RANKED NUMBER ONE IN US NEWS & WORLD REPORT ANNUAL RANKING OF MATERIALS ENGINEERING GRADUATE PROGRAMS DMSE has again secured the top place in the annual US News and World Report ranking of Materials Engineering graduate programs in the United States. DMSE has been ranked number one for the 12th consecutive time. The School of Engineering at MIT also received the top spot by a wide margin. For further information on the ranking of all the graduate programs at MIT, see the TechTalk article.

FAMILIAR FACES CHANGING PLACES! Personnel shifts in Student Services Office, Facilities Administration DMSE Dept. Head, Subra Suresh announced personnel shifts in the Student Services and Facilities Administration offices, as a result of the findings of a committee which included Joe Dhosi, Robin Elices and Ken Russell. Kathy Farrell, who has worked as the Department's Administrator for Facilities and Space for nearly a year, will move to the Student Services office as Academic Administrator in charge of the DMSE Student Services Office, effective April 1. Kathy will be supported by Gloria Landahl in matters concerning graduate student programs, and by Dwayne Daughtry, who will continue in his current role as Undergraduate Administrator. Her facilities responsibilities will be assumed on a part-time basis, by George LaBonte, who will work closely with new Executive Officer, Prof. Sam Allen, and with Prof. Suresh. 

March 2000
 

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

CHIANG RECEIVES ACerS FULRATH AWARD Kudos to Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang, who will be receiving the Richard M. Fulrath Award from the American Ceramic Society at their meeting this April. The Fulrath Award recognizes outstanding academic and industrial ceramic enigneers/scientists who are 45 years of age or younger. The award is also a symbol for the "Bridge Across the Pacific" program, through which U.S. recipients of the Fulrath Award spend part of a year in Japan 

STUDENT DISTINCTIONS

PAULINA KUO RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS TMS AWARD Warm congratulations to Paulina S. Kuo, a Senior majoring in both Physics and Materials Science, who has been selected to receive The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society's (TMS) J. Keith Brimacombe Presidential Scholarship for 2000. This is the Society's most prestigious student award and is presented to an undergraduate student majoring in metallurgical engineering, or minerals processing/extraction who has demonstrated outstanding academic and leadership performance. Presentation of the award will take place at the 2000 TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition, to be held from March 13-16, 2000 in Nashville, Tennessee. 

February 2000

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

VANDER SANDE TO LEAD NEW CAMBRIDGE U/MIT PROGRAM (Adapted from a piece by Kenneth Campbell, MIT News Office)
MIT has announced the appointment of Professor John B. Vander Sande as the MIT Director of the newly created Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI). CMI, first announced late last year (MIT Tech Talk, 11/10/99), is a collaboration of the University of Cambridge (Cambridge) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The new institute is budgeted at $135 million (£84 million) for its first five years. Funded by the British government and industry, CMI will concentrate on undergraduate and faculty exchanges, integrated research focusing on improving productivity and entrepreneurship, professional development for executives, and collaboration with eight British universities designated as Enterprise Centers. Vander Sande has been a professor and academic administrator at MIT since 1971. He served a leading role in developing the Singapore-MIT Alliance, MIT's distance education collaboration with two universities and the government in Singapore. President Charles M. Vest and Chancellor Lawrence S. Bacow announced the appointments, which are effective immediately. They commented, "John Vander Sande is a skilled administrator who is uniquely qualified to head this very exciting new academic enterprise. He is dedicated to students and to research, he has broad administrative experience, including international academic and government collaborations, and he has helped found a high-technology firm. He is familiar with both the British and American styles of higher education, and is the only man we know who is equally at home working with 21st-century high-temperature superconductors and building 17th-century colonial furniture with hand tools. Professor Vander Sande said a small team at MIT and Cambridge are working to move the memorandum of intent, signed in November, to a final agreement among the University of Cambridge, MIT and Her Majesty's Government. The kickoff date for CMI is expected to be July 1, 2000. "The Cambridge-MIT Institute (CMI) represents a new form of academic enterprise, bringing together two of the world's preeminent research universities to build on the complementary strengths of each," Professor Vander Sande said. DMSE is proud to congratulate Prof. Vander Sande on his appointment to lead this exciting new trans-Atlantic collaboration! 

POSTDOC DISTINCTIONS

VAIDYANATHAN GARNERS LOS ALAMOS THESIS AWARD Dr. Raj Vaidyanathan, former graduate student and current post-doc in Prof. Subra Suresh's lab, was awarded the 17th Louis Rosen Prize for his outstanding Ph.D. thesis from the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The prize consists of $1,000, a plaque and an opportunity to make a technical presentation at their annual meeting. The criteria for the prize included originality and extent of the student's contribution to the research and its scientific impact. Raj's Ph.D. thesis was entitled, "Mechanical Properties of Superelastic and Shape-Memory NiTi and NiTi-TiC Composites Investigated by Neutron Diffraction" and his thesis committee consisted of Profs. David C. Dunand (thesis advisor), Subra Suresh and August F. Witt. Congratulations to Dr. Vaidyanathan on winning this highly coveted award!

DEPARTMENT NEWS

REG DAY FEAST HELPS DMSE FUEL-UP FOR THE SEMESTER! by Greg Sands
You could be excused, if you visited Lobby 13 last Monday January 31st, and thought you had just walked into an Italian wedding reception. DMSE folks, however, know that when a new semester finds Lobby 13 alive with great food, music, cheerful decor, and hungry guests, there can be but one explanation -- the bi-annual Reg Day Feast! Thanks to Undergraduate Administrator Dwayne Daughtry, the under-graduate materials organization (SUMS) and an able crew of volunteers, which included Lecturer Harry Merrick, students Ken Clary, Melissa Light, Joseph Louis, Elizabeth Maxwell, Brad McCoy, Nina Pocek, Elissa Schwartzfarb, and ASO Fiscal Administrator Josh Freedman, this much anticipated kick-off for the semester went off without a hitch. First, everybody's feet were set to tapping with the sophisticated sounds of the DMSE Reg Day Jazz Quartet, consisting of students Lori Eich, '03 on keyboard, Nate Fitzgerald '02 on the drums, Tom Lada '02 on Bass, and Mike Tarkanian '01 on the alto sax. Balloons, music and decorations all contributed to the festive, upbeat atmostphere! Then, of course, who could forget the star of the show -- the fantastic FOOD! In Cambridge, a city blessed with umpteen restaurants per square mile, picking the best vendor for ethnic-food favorites must have been quite a challenge. Nevertheless, the selection scored high both for variety and quality -- kabobs, quesadillas, and quiche from Milk Street Cafe, sushi from Ginza, pasta and focaccia bread from Vinny Testa's, crabcakes and fresh-cut fruit from Star Market, beverages from Costco and of course those amazing desserts from S & S Catering. A big "thumbs-up" for those whose distinguishing palates brought us a decidedly distinctive and tasty array of winter-comfort foods! Looking back on the event, Daughtry commented, "It was good to see my first spring semester in DMSE get off to a warm, cheerful start. The Feast was a solid success and a great ending to the IAP break. My 'MVP' vote goes to the Undergraduate Class!" The Graduate Student organization MSEG will organize the Feast for the Fall 2000 semester. Congratulations to the Undergrads and all those students faculty and staff who contributed to the huge success of this semester's Reg Day Feast! 

January 2000

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

THOMAS APPOINTED ALFREY VISITING PROFESSOR AT MMI DMSE Prof. Ned Thomas has been appointed the Turner Alfrey Visiting Professor at the Michigan Molecular Institute (MMI), for the year 2000. He will present a series of lectures at MMI and participating institutions and organizations May 15-19, 2000. Thomas received a Bachelor's Degree, Magna Cum Laude from the University of Massachusetts and a Ph.D. from Cornell University. He has served in several science reserach and teaching assignments in the U.S. and overseas beginning in 1969. He is the recipient of multiple awards and honors, including the Special Creativity Award from the National Science Foundation (twice) and the Creative Polymer Chemist Award from the American Chemical Society and served as chair of its Division of High Polymer Physics in 1998. He belongs to eight professional societies, serves on nine editorial boards and has edited three books. He is co-author of one textbook, The Structure of Materials, has written over 200 journal articles. He holds two patents and presently has five pending. MMI is an independent, not-for-profit research and educational organization, conducting both basic and applied research in polymer science and technology. The MMI building contains 35,000 square feet of laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment well-suited for both chemical and physical research, a library which boasts one of the most extensive polymer collections in the world, and administration and support facilities. Congratulations to Prof. Thomas on this important appointment! 

DEPARTMENT NEWS

OUTGOING DMSE DEPT HEAD EAGAR HONORED By Greg Sands and Steve Malley
On Thursday December 16th, a festive reception was held in the Department's Chipman Room to commemorate a changing of the guard. The Department expressed its gratitude for five years of service from outgoing Department Head, Prof. Tom Eagar, who will step down on January 15, 2000 after five years, and welcomed new Dept. Head, DMSE Prof. Subra Suresh, who will shortly take over the position. Prof. Eagar will continue on the faculty following the transition, taking a sabbatical during which he will develop curricular materials and work on his new book. This event was attended by an overflow crowd, a tribute to Prof. Eagar's years of dedicated service and personable leadership style. After guests were treated to a king's banquet of treats, the refined music of the MIT Chorallaries, and a chance to mingle and renew old friendships, a number of DMSE's best known faces within the department including Prof. Eagar himself spoke about the achievements and happy memories of his tenure in DMSE's top spot. Prof. Bob Rose, Master of Ceremonies for the event, introduced the first speaker, the School of Engineering's new Dean, Thomas Magnanti. Magnanti paid tribute to Eagar's hard work, remembering in particular his many years on numerous committees, as well as his establishment of the first joint venture with the Sloan School. The Dean shared a story about Tom's undergraduate interview at Harvard, where Tom reportedly told his interviewers that MIT was a better school. Finally, Dean Magnanti expressed his appreciation for Tom's generosity and his success in maintaining MIT DMSE's standing as the best Department of Materials Science in the world. Next, incoming Department Head, Prof. Subra Suresh, spoke briefly, complimenting Prof. Eagar's generous spirit during his tenure as Head. Prof. Eagar was then presented with a number of gifts, including a giant thank you card from current DMSE students, an exquisitely crafted glass serving bowl created in the MIT glass labs, and a rather unusual looking bronze model of a certain power supply -- with a story behind it! This fairly conventional looking rectangular appliance, had a power cord at one end, a fan on top --and a metallic cockroach climbing out of the grillwork, as well as a rodent poking his nose out of a hole in the side! Not quite the same as a monogrammed necktie, or a desk set. It turns out that one of Prof. Eagar's previous offices was involuntarily shared with the gargantuan original of this power supply unit; part of the remains of an old Chemistry Department project. Upon achieving tenure status in the Department Tom decided that it was time to help the rightful owners reclaim this cumbersome relic which over years of disuse had become the home to various rodents and insects. Following his unanswered requests to the Chemistry Department for them to remove it from his office, he moved it himself--directly to their offices over in building 18! Needless to say, this didn't exactly have the same effect as, for example, delivering a box of chocolates, but it did yield some quick and extensive contact with high level administrators in that department. They didn't want it in their backyard either, but ultimately relented and Tom was free of this oversized mouse house. The final speaker was Prof. Eagar, himself. He thanked his wife for her support and then emphasized that it was the individuals in the department that really made things happen. He reminded everyone that he would still be around, encouraging Subra continue to keep MIT in the forefront of Materials Science. The warm tributes, festive decor, food, music and comradery were a fitting celebration of Tom's legacy of tenacious dedication, leadership, and scholarly achievement. Prof. Eagar will continue on the faculty following his departure from the Head position, and can be contacted in his new office, 4-136 after January 10th. Thanks to Kathy Farrell, Jeri Hill and Cathy Carey and all the folks who made this event such a success! 

December 1999 
 

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

OOF SELECTED FOR TECHNOLOGY OF THE YEAR AWARD! DMSE Associate Professor, W. Craig Carter, and colleagues from National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), were honored recently by Industry Week magazine for their innovative new, "Object-Oriented Finite Elements" (OOF) public domain computer software, with their "Technology of the Year" award for 1999. For five years, the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) has been developing a computational tool for analyzing and predicting the performance of solid materials with complex microstructures. OOF -- it rhymes with "goof" -- is the public-domain program that has resulted from this effort. Before the development of OOF, researchers were limited to studying the properties of either simple materials or idealized models of more complex materials. Using OOF, they can scan a micrograph -- a photograph of an actual material on a microscopic scale -- into a computer and turn it into a digital image. Then, using OOF's intuitive graphical interface, they can point and click on subregions of the micrograph. Based on the geometry of these subregions, OOF allows users to develop a comprehensive analysis and prediction of how the material will respond to heat, stress, and other forces. Congratulations to Prof. Carter on the continued success of OOF and on this national honor! 

TULLER PRESENTS LECTURE AT BANFF CONFERENCE Congratulations to Prof. Harry Tuller, who recently presented a Plenary Lecture entitled "Compositionally Modulated Single Phase SOFC Structures", at the Composites at Lake Louise Conference held from October 31st to November 5th in Banff, Canada.

O'HANDLEY MAGNETIC MATERIALS TEXT NOW IN PRINT We're happy to announce that "Modern Magnetic Materials: Principles and Applications" (John Wiley & Sons, 1999, 767p.) a graduate text authored by DMSE Sr. Research Associate Robert O'Handley, is now in print! This text will be used in 3.45, which will be offered this coming Spring. Best wishes on the future of this new text! 

RESEARCH STAFF DISTINCTIONS

LARSON RECEIVES TMS 2000 TECHNOLOGY AWARD Congratulations to DMSE Research Associate, Dr. Harold Larson, who will behonored by The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) for his co-authorship of the paper, "A Pilot-Scale Trial of an Improved Galvanic Deoxidation Process for Refining Molten Copper". Larson will receive TMS's "2000 Extraction and Processing Technology Award" along with co-authors, P. Soral, U. Pal and B. Schroeder, in a special luncheon during the TMS's 129th Annual Meeting which will be held in Nashville, Tennessee in March 2000. Each year, the TMS Extractive Metallurgy Awards Committee reviews papers on extractive metallurgy and related sciences, with emphasis on the extractive metallurgy of the nonferrous metals, published in appropriate Society publications, during previous years.

SUPPORT STAFF DISTINCTIONS

LIPPINCOTT'S LATEST NOVEL "OUR ARCADIA" ON THE WAY! Author Robin Lippincott, Administrative Asst. to Bob O'Handley, is happy to announce that his next novel, "Our Arcadia", has just been bought by Viking/Penguin and will be published in April 2001. Lippincott's most recent novel, "Mr. Dalloway" has gone into a second printing, and on Thursday, January 27th, 2000, will be presented by Mr. Lippincott in a reading as part of the "authors@mit" readings series. Kudos to Robin on his continued success! 

DEPARTMENT NEWS

SURESH NAMED NEW DMSE DEPARTMENT HEAD After long anticipation, DMSE is proud to announce the appointment of new Departrment Head, MIT DMSE Prof. Subra Suresh, who will begin his new position effective January 15, 2000. Prof. Suresh succeeds Prof. Thomas Eagar who is stepping down after five years as Department head to return to full-time teaching and research. Tom will be taking a one-year sabbatical to work on a book and develop new undergraduate curricular material. Subra Suresh is R. P. Simmons Professor. He received his Bachelor of Technology degree from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1977, an M.S. from Iowa State University in 1979, and a Sc.D. from M.I.T. in 1981. Before joining the MIT faculty, Subra was an assistant research engineer at University of California, Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, and a faculty member at Brown University. Subra is internationally recognized for his major contributions to the broad fields of mechanical properties of materials, fracture and fatigue, the multi-disciplinary area of graded materials, and coupled properties of small-volume structures. He has written 175 research articles and is the author/coauthor of two books, "Fatigue of Materials" and "Fundamentals of Functionally Graded Materials". He also is a co-inventor of nine US and international patent applications. Subra's numerous awards and honors include the TFR Swedish National Chair in Engineering, the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Honorary Membership of the Materials Research Society of India, and the Ross Coffin Purdy Award from the American Ceramic Society. He has been elected a Fellow of The Minerals, Materials and Metals Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Ceramic Society, and the American Society for Materials International. Subra recently served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Materials Division of ASME. He is also the Coordinating Editor and a Principal Editor of the international journals Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia, and a Series Editor for the Cambridge University Press Solid State Science Series. He has also served as Chair of the Advanced Materials Program of the Singapore-MIT Alliance. Professor Suresh is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Singapore, an ex-officio member of Corporate Board of Acta Metallurgica, Inc, a consultant to the School of Science of the National University of Singapore, and a member of the International Committee on Functionally Graded Materials. In making this appointment, Tom Magnanti, Dean of the School of Engineering,thanked Tom Eagar for his tireless commitment to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and to the School of Engineering. Prior to becoming department head in January 1995, Tom served as the engineering co-director of the Leaders for Manufacturing Program and before that as director of the Materials Processing Center. In 1989 he served as acting head of the DMSE. As Department Head and a member of Engineering Council, Tom served as chair of the committee that laid much of the foundation for creation of the Division of Bioengineering and Environmental Health and the Engineering Systems Division. Subra assumes the Department leadership with great enthusiasm to build upon the sound foundations put in place by his predecessors as Department Head. In particular, Tom Eagar and Subra will be working closely over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition in the Department's leadership. The Department is grateful to members of the search committee for their outstanding service: Professors Lorna Gibson (Chair), Michael Cima, Eugene Fitzgerald, Linn Hobbs, Carl Thompson, and John Vander Sande from Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor Robert Amstrong from the Department of Chemical Engineering. The committee devoted enormous time and energy to the search process, working effectively to meet a tight deadline. 

MIT LIBRARIES

The MIT Libraries subscribe to IDEAL(r), which is an online electronic library containing 174 Academic Press journals full-text contents from 1996-1999+. In addition, selected W.B. Saunders, Ltd. and Churchill Livingstone titles are available. Abstracts and tables of contents are presented in HTML and full-text articles are delivered in Adobe Acrobat(r) format. 

"ANNUAL REVIEWS" ONLINE The following "Annual Reviews" are now available online:Annual Review of Biochemistry, Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering, Annual Review of Biophysics and Biomolecular Structure, Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Annual Review of Genetics, Annual Review of Immunology, Annual Review of Materials Science, Annual Review of Microbiology, Annual Review of Neuroscience, Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science, Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, Annual Review of Physiology, Annual Review of Phytopathology, Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology.

November 1999

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

CHIANG RECEIVES ACerS' F.H. NORTON AWARD Congratulations are in order for DMSE Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang, who will be awarded the New England Section of the American Ceramic Society's "F.H. Norton Award", on Thursday, December 9th, in Westboro. Not only is this is a distinguished honor, but its namesake is one of MIT DMSE's own -- Professor F.H. Norton, MIT Faculty 1927-61. Prof. Norton started what was then known as the "Division of Ceramics" within the Department of Metallurgy.

MRS BULLETIN HIGHLIGHTS NEW ALLEN/THOMAS TEXT A recently released textbook coauthored by DMSE Prof.'s Samuel M. Allen, and Edwin L. Thomas received favorable commentary in the September '99 issue of the Materials Research Society (MRS) Bulletin. A "viewpoint" article by Robert W. Cahn, of Cambridge University, featured this commentary: "The whole raison d'etre of materials science is to achieve cross-fertilization between understanding of different categories of materials. This is at last beginning to become explicit in materials science education. A very recent undergraduate textbook by S.M. Allen and E.L. Thomas of MIT, "Structure of Materials" (Wiley & Sons, New York, 1999), is predicated on this approach." Kudos to both Prof's on this prominent recognition! 

October 1999

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

FLEMINGS TO RECEIVE NMA AWARD The National Materials Advancement Award will be presented by the Federation of Materials Societies to DMSE Prof. Merton C. Flemings at a reception at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on December 8, 1999. The National Materials Advancement Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated their outstanding capabilities in advancing the effective and economic use of materials and the multi-disciplinary field of materials science and engineering generally, and who contribute to the application of the materials profession to national problems and policy. Currently, Director, MIT Center for the SIngapore-MIT Alliance, Flemings' career at MIT has ranged from Assistant Professor to Toyota Professor of Materials Processing. He established and was the first director of the Materials Processing Center at MIT in 1979. He was Visiting Professor at Cambridge University, Tokyo University and Ecole des Mines. Professor Flemings' research and teaching concentrate on engineering fundamentals of materials processing, and on innovation of materials processing operations. He is active nationally and internationally in strengthening the field of Materials Science and Engineering and in the delineation of new directions for the field. He is a member of the Nationals Academy of Engineering and of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has worked closely with industry and industrial problems throughout his professional career, and currently serves on a number of corporate and technical advisory boards. He has received numerous awards and honors from technical societies including ASM International, TMS, the Materials Research Society, American Foundrymen's Society, AIME, Sigma Alpha Mu, the Societe Francaise de Metallurgie, the Japan Foundrymen's Society, Japan Iron and Steel Institute, the Italian Metallurgical Association, and Acta Metallurgica. He was the Chairman of the 15th Biennial Conference on National Materials Policy, sponsored by the Federation of Materials Societies. 

SURESH, KIMERLING ELECTED FELLOWS OF TMS Congratulations to Simmons Professor Subra Suresh, and Thomas Lord Professor Lionel C. Kimerling. Suresh and Kimerling will be formally presented with The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) Fellow award during the TMS Annual Meeting to be held in Nashville, Tennessee, during March 2000. TMS has a worldwide membership of approximately 8,000 professionals and 2,000 students. Out of this large group, a total of only 100 members are given the special title of Fellow of the Society. This select group of only 1 percent of the Society's membership consists of distinguished researchers, educators and leaders in the practice of materials. Suresh, who is the youngest among all the Fellows of TMS, was elected "for pioneering contributions to the understanding of mechanical behavior and mechanics of materials, and for leadership in materials education". Suresh is a past recipient of the Robert Lansing Hardy Gold Medal and the Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal of TMS. He has received a number of recent honors which include: Fellow of ASME, ASM International and the American Ceramic Society, Honorary Member of the Materials Research Society of India, the TFR National Chair in Engineering from the Swedish National Research Council, and the Clark B. Millikan Endowed Chair at California Institute of Technology for sabbatical during 1999. Suresh is the Coordinating and Principal Editor of the international journals Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia, and the MIT Chair of the Advanced Materials Program of the Singapore-MIT Alliance. Kimerling was elected "for his outstanding basic and applied research on defects in semiconductors, and for his professional and academic leadership in the field of electronic materials". Kimerling is the Director of MIT's Materials Processing Center, and the President of TMS Foundation which was established in 1993 "to develop and fund programs that will fully prepare future generations of professionals for leadership roles in the international minerals, metals, and materials community". He is also a recent recipient of the John Bardeen Award from TMS for outstanding contributions to the field of electronic materials and the Electronics Division Award of the Electrochemical Society. Kimerling also served as the President of TMS during the year 1994 and is the Chairman of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Electronic Materials. For more about the TMS and the TMS Fellow award..

STUDENT DISTINCTIONS

PAULINA KUO AWARDED 2000 PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP Kudos to Physics and Materials Science major Paulina Kuo '00, who was recently awarded the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) J. Keith Brimacombe Presidential Scholarship for 2000! This national award is given annually to one undergraduate student majoring in metallurgical engineering, materials science and engineering or minerals processing/extraction programs. The awardee receives a $5,000 cash award scholarship, and a $1,000 travel stipend to attend that year's TMS Annual Meeting. Awardees are chosen by a specially appointed selection committee of the TMSE Student Affairs Commmittee of TMS. 

GOULDSTONE AND VAN VLIET GARNER TOP ACerS PRIZE Andrew Gouldstone and Krystyn Van Vliet, graduate students of Professor Subra Suresh, received the First Prize for Outstanding Poster in the New England Chapter of the American Ceramic Society. The student poster competition was held in conjunction with the meeting of the Chapter in Westborough, MA on June 9, 1999. The poster by Gouldstone and Van Vliet on nanoindentation studies of material properties received the top honorsout of a field of fourteen entries by graduate students from several New England Universities. Congratulations to Andrew and Krystyn on this hard earned award!

BENSON JANOS WINS BMW AWARD Benson Z. Janos, a current Ph.D. student in Aero-Asto's Active Materials and Structures Lab, has been awarded the BMW Scientific Award. The thesis submitted by Janos investigates ceramic materials produced via the so-called precursor route. His research focuses primarily on the behaviour and durability at high temperatures. In the manufacture of precursor ceramics, monomers are synthesized into thermoplastic polymers and thermally cured, before being transformed into their final state via ceramization and if necessary, crystallization. A major advantage of precursor ceramics is that their manufacture requires relatively low process temperatures, while the finished product demonstrates exceptional resistance to high temperatures. The finished material contains none of the constitutent components with a low melting point have traditionally limited the high temperature stability of conventional structural ceramics. The BMW Scientific Award is given every two years. Janos recevied the BMWSA's first prize, which includes a $20,000 cash prize. Congratulations to Benson Janos on winning this prominent award! 

MIT LIBRARIESTHREE NEW ONLINE SERVICES NOW AVAILABLE! 1) MIT Libraries has a proxy server to access library resources in remote locations. 2) Science Library's Workshop series. 3) Wiley Journals online There are several Wiley journals to which we have now online access: Bioessays, Archiv der pharmazie, Angewandte chemie international edition, Chemistry - a european journal, Crystal research and technology, European journal of immunology, European journal of organic chemistry, European journal inorganic chemistry, Helvetica chimica acta, Heteroatom chemistry, International journal for numerical methods in engineering, International journal for numerical methods in fluids, International journal of cancer, International journal of chemical kinetics, International journal of climatology, International journal of energy research, Journal of biomedical materials research, Journal of cellular biochemistry, Journal of cellular physiology, Journal of Computational Chemistry, Journal of Mass Spectrometry, Journal of neuroscience research, Journal of polymer science (two sections A and B), Journal of raman spectroscopy, Lasers in sugery and medicine, Macromolecular chemistry and physics, Macromolecular rapid communications, Magnetic resonance in medicine, Macromolecular theory and simulations, Microscopy research and technique, Particle & particle systems characterization, Proteins: structure, function and genetics, Science education, Synapse, Zeitschrift fur anorganische und allgemeine chemie, Physica status solidi a & b

September 1999

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

DMSE RESEARCHERS UNLOCK EARLY RUBBER SECRETS AND ILLUMINATE ANCIENT MESOAMERICAN CULTURE Discoveries about early rubber processing unearthed in Mexico, and researched by Assoc. Prof. Dorothy Hosler, Asst. Prof. Sandra Burkett and senior Michael Tarkanian received siginificant press attention in recent months, with wide coverage by media outlets including the New York Times, National Geographic Online, and the BBC. A report published in the journal "Science", entitled "Prehistoric Polymers: Rubber Processing in Ancient Mesoamerica" shed new light on the creation of rubbery materials, which it now appears were used as early as 1600 B.C. These materials played a surprising and important role in the evolution of a game using balls of a latex-based rubbery material. The material created by mixing latex from the Castilla elastica tree with the juice from a species of Morning glory, was crucial to this game, which may well have decided matters of commerce and even life and death. Prof. Hosler commented, "This particular project is very exciting because the Mesoamerican rubber ball game was such a fundamental ritual and political event in these societies, and the ball game could not have developed without inventing the technology to process rubber." A materials archaeologist, Prof. Hosler carries out much of her laboratory research on the relationships between ancient societies and the technologies they developed as a member of the MIT-based Center for Materials Research in Archaeology and Ethnology (CMRAE). CMRAE is the only multi-institution academic facility of its kind in the world, focusing on the use of modern science and engineering methods to study ancient materials processing technologies. DMSE Senior, Michael Tarkanian became interested in ancient Mexican rubber when, as a freshman, he wrote a paper on the ritual ball game for a class in Mesoamerican archaeology taught by Prof. Hosler. The two were discussing the ball game one day when they realized that the properties required for the balls could not have resulted from the use of latex, alone. Natural latex is a sticky, unworkable liquid that dries to a brittle solid. Tarkanian then started a UROP as a member of Hosler's research collaborative which investigated how the people of Mesoamerica made large, resilient, bouncy balls, more than 3,000 years before the invention of vulcanized rubber. In the process, he became one of a handful of undergrads to have co-authored articles in the prestigious journal, Science. Of Tarkanian's important contribution to the project, Michel Bergren, Program Administrator for UROP commented, "For almost four years, Mike has put an enormous effort into this project, both in the laboratory and on his several trips to Mexico. He has made a big contribution to the field of archaeology, and UROP is thrilled to have supported his impressive work." Asst. Prof. Sandra Burkett guided the analysis aimed at identifying the mechanisms responsible for coagulation of the latex/morning glory mixture. It was discovered through state-of-the-art testing, that the morning glory plant contains sulfur compounds that are capable of cross-linking the latex polymers and introducing rigid segments into the polymer chains. When these chains interact and entangle with one another, they produce rubbery properties. For a more more detailed look at research on these new discoveries about early rubbery substances and their creation and use, read the July 14th Tech Talk article. 

July 1999

FACULTY DISTINCTIONS

KINGERY AWARDED KYOTO PRIZE IN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY Congratulations to former MIT DMSE Professor, and Alumnus, W. David Kingery, on receiving the highly coveted 1999 Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology, an annual award given by the Inamori Foundation of Kyoto, Japan. Each of the three annual winners of the Kyoto Prizes, receive a diploma, a ûKyoto Prize Medal and a cash gift of 50 million yen (approximately $400K) Prof. Kingery has had a long distinguished relationship with MIT, graduating from MIT in 1948 with a BC.S. in Chemistry again from MIT in 1950 with a Sc.D., and then joining the faculty of DMSE as a Full Professor of Ceramics in 1962. Professor Kingery continued in this position until 1988, when he moved to the University of Arizona, where served as Professor in both Materials Science and Engineering and in Anthropology until 1992 when he was appointed a Regents Professor at the University. UA Regents Professorships are a rank of highest distinction, similar to MIT's Institute Professorship. Ceramics, used since ancient times in pottery, chinaware, tile, brick, cement, and glass have long been made from natural materials using empirical methods. Following World War II, with the growth in understanding of high polymers and other materials, Dr. Kingery began applying solid state physics and crystallography to ceramic materials, whose scientific development had until then been largely unfulfilled. Dr. Kingery thus became the first researcher who systematically integrated the techniques and knowledge related to ceramic materials into a scientific discipline using his own data. Current ceramic production involves the firing, or "sintering" of particles on the order of microns. Dr. Kingery has contributed greatly to theories of sintering, the most critical process in ceramic manufacturing. His individual research achievements led to the modern application of ceramics to oxygen sensors, fuel cells and a vast range of electronic components. Thanks to his outstanding work, ceramics began to attract widespread public attention in the 1970's. Today, it is possible to produce high-performace ceramic materials with unique electrical characteristics, as well as extreme heat resistance, pressure resistance, hardness, and anti-corrosiveness, by carefully selecting raw materials and strictly controlling the manufacturing process. Dr. Kingery presented the fruits of his research to the entire world in the book "Introduction to Ceramics." This text, translated into the world's major languages and considered the bible of ceramic materials science, epitomizes Dr. Kingery's invaluable contribution to society. In recent years, Dr. Kingery has analyzed, from an archaeological standpoint, the earthenware, pottery and chinaware that are found throughout the world -- studying the development and diffusion of ceramic techniques and systematically compiling results via cultural and anthropological interpretations of advanced technology. The Kyoto Prizes are presented to individuals or groups worldwide who have contributed significantly to mankind's scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment. The three annual awards are given for contributions to the fields of Advanced Technology, Basic Sciences, and Creative Arts and Moral Sciences.

DMSE STUDENT AWARDS

In case you missed the Commencement Reception and announcing of the 1998-1999 Awards bestowed on students by the DMSE Undergraduate Committee, the following is a list of the honored students: JUNE 1999 AWARDS Outstanding Senior Thesis $250 + Plaque Maisha K. Gray Matthew I. Lozow Andrew W. Sparks Best 3B Internship Report $500 + Plaque Andrew R. Takahashi Certificate of Honor: Perfect 5.0 Cum Certificate Jessica S. Lai Andrew R. Takahashi Award for Outstanding Service to the MIT Community Paper Weight Maisha K. Gray Solar C. Olugebefola Award for Outstanding Service to the DMSE Community Plaque Cheng-Han Chen AMITA Award (The Association of MIT Alumnae Award) Lisa Kinder Tau Beta Pi Scholarship Paulina S. Kuo Honorable Mention International Precious Metals Institute Certificate Matthew I. Lozow Outstanding Junior - DMSE Class of 2000 $250 + Paper Weight Paulina S. Kuo Outstanding Student: DMSE Class of 1999 $500 + Clock Andrew R. Takahashi John Wulff Award for Excellence in Teaching $500 + Name Engraved on Chipman Room Plaque + Certificate Arthur J. Pitera

DEPARTMENT NEWS

DMSE WELCOMES CHARLES MOSS Please welcome new support staffer, Charles V. Moss to DMSE! Charles recently started his new position in the Department's Student Services Office (8-303) where he will be providing support for the graduate and undergraduate administrators, fielding inquiries and handling records maintenance. Mr. Moss, a native of Hancock in Western Massachusetts, has lived in the Boston area for 10 years and has an extensive background in administration and assistance. Among his experiences has been a position with "A Better Chance" (ABC), where he worked as a liaison between parents, students and schools. ABC is a non-profit national academic talent search agency that identifies gifted minority children and provides them with college preparatory education. ABC's high-profile Board of Directors includes singer Diana Ross, and television journalist Ed Bradlee. Also, Charles is an accomplished singer and currently performs with three different gospel choirs in the Boston area.

LIPPINCOTT'S "MR. DALLOWAY" EARNS RAVE REVIEWS Robin Lippincott's first novel MR. DALLOWAY, just out from