Administrator

Stephanie Law, associate professor of materials science and engineering, has been elected as a fellow of the American Vacuum Society (AVS) for "contributions to the molecular beam epitaxy of III-V materials and topological insulators for applications in mid-infrared and THz plasmonic and metamaterial devices.” 

AVS Fellows are Platinum Members who have made sustained and outstanding technical contributions in areas of interest to AVS. 

“I am honored to be chosen as an AVS Fellow,” said Law. “AVS is my home society and is full of scientists whose work I admire, so this award is especially meaningful. None of the work I have done would have been possible without all the outstanding students and collaborators I have worked with over the years.”  

Founded in 1953, AVS is organized into technical divisions and technical groups that encompass a range of established as well as emerging science and technology areas. There are also regional chapters, international chapters and affiliates, and student chapters that promote communication and networking for professionals and students within a geographical region. AVS is comprised of approximately 4,500 members worldwide.

Through a partnership between Clark Atlanta University (CAU) and Penn State, CAU students for the second year had the opportunity to participate in a summer research experience for undergraduate (REU) in materials science and engineering on the Penn State, University Park campus

CAU students contributed to many collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects related to materials science and engineering as well as gained hands-on experience. The REU was funded by the National Science Foundation, Arconic and Arconic Foundation, and the Department of Defense.  

Other activities conducted through the CAU/Penn State partnership included Penn State-led workshops at CAU and visits to Penn State by CAU faculty and students, which were supported through generous funding from Arconic and Arconic Foundation.

Fall/Winter 2024

Imagine, Fall/Winter 2024

The materials science community mourns the loss of David John Green, professor emeritus of ceramic science and engineering, who died on August 13, 2024, at the age of 76. 

Green joined Penn State in 1984 as part of the Ceramic Science and Engineering Department, now the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE), blending his pioneering research on the mechanical behavior of ceramics with a passion for teaching. Though he retired in 2013, many MatSE faculty members remember him as a dear colleague and friend and a wonderful human being. For many of his former students, they say he was the professor who changed so many of their lives.

"I am thankful to have known David," said Susan Sinnott, department head and professor of materials science and engineering. "As an emeritus faculty member, he was a champion for our faculty—their development and service to the department. He will be greatly missed."

Green is survived by his wife, Keiko “Kay” Green, four children—Tina Taylor and her husband, Richard, Tony Green and his wife, Mary, Marc Cushing and his wife, Amanda, Thomas Miller and his partner, Tina—four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

"He was a consummate scientist, engineer, faculty member, colleague, and friend. The body of work he has left us, has—and will continue to—inspire the development of ceramic materials to new heights." 

— James Adair, professor of materials science and engineering, of biomedical engineering, and of pharmacology

Green's research and career

Green's research and career Green’s research focused on the relationships between fabrication, microstructure, and the properties of brittle materials. His contributions include studies on microcracking in ceramics, the reliability of ceramics in structural design, failure analysis, micromechanical theory, and the mechanical behavior of porous ceramics. He was also known for his work on surface stresses, indentation, and fatigue of glasses. 

Green was born in Manchester, England. He attended the University of Liverpool where he earned a bachelor degree in chemistry and a bachelor degree in materials science. He received his master’s and doctoral degrees from McMaster University, where his graduate work focused on microstructural aspects of fracture in ceramic materials. He was particularly noted for demonstrating the importance of microcracking in the fracture of zirconia oxide based materials and for developing ultrasonic fractography, a technique for studying crack-particle interactions in brittle materials. 

Before joining Penn State, Green had a distinguished career. In 1975, he served as a research scientist at the Canadian Department of Energy, Mines, and Resources, where he focused on preparing ultrafine, homogeneous ceramic powders for solid electrolytes used in energy conversion and storage systems. 

In 1979, Green moved to Rockwell International's Science Center in California, continuing his research on the relationship between fabrication, microstructure, and the properties of ceramics. His work included research on microcracking, structural reliability, failure analysis, transformation-toughened ceramics, and the mechanical reliability of the Space Shuttle's thermal protection system. 

Green served as senior editor for the Journal of the American Ceramic Society for more than twenty-five years and was its president for one term. He was a fellow of both the American Ceramic Society and the Canadian Ceramic Society and was an academician of the World Academy of Ceramics. He authored or co-authored more than 200 publications, including two books, Transformation Toughening of Ceramics and Introduction to the Mechanical Properties of Ceramics, and co-edited Mechanical Properties of Porous and Cellular Materials. He also held three U.S. patents. 

Green’s Legacy at Penn State 

• Green and his wife Keiko have been dedicated to creating a lasting impact at Penn State through their personal philanthropy, establishing multiple funds to support students, faculty, and research. In the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, there are four different funds supporting the MatSE: 
• The “David J. Green Undergraduate Research Fund” provides funds to support undergraduate students travelling to international conferences to present research findings, providing them with an invaluable experience to learn and promote their research. • The “David J. Green Post Doctorate Fund” supports post-doctoral scholars performing research aimed at the development of materials for energy applications, helping to develop an understanding of the experimental properties of these materials and how these properties are influenced by material structures. 
•  The “David J. Green International Faculty Development Fund” supports MatSE by providing support to a faculty member travelling internationally to pursue a joint research proposal, teach classes, and/or give seminars. •
• Finally, the “David J. Green Materials Faculty Service Award Fund” supports a faculty member in MatSE who has performed outstanding service work and advanced materials science and engineering education. 

Green’s legacy will live on through his indelible commitment to advancing scientific research. Penn State students and faculty will benefit in perpetuity due to the Greens’ generosity and philanthropic contributions. To make a gift, please visit raise.psu.edu/emsdavidgreen.