Administrator
Archived publications are available in alternative media on request. Please contact matsemarcom@psu.edu
A recent gift of a Thermotron humidity chamber from energy company Aramco Americas will support numerous research projects in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS).
A team of researchers have observed and reported for the first time the unique microstructure of a novel ferroelectric material, enabling the development of lead-free piezoelectric materials for electronics, sensors, and energy storage that are safer for human use. This work was led by the Alem Group at Penn State and in collaboration with research teams at Rutgers University and the University of California, Merced.
The MatSE External Advisory Board (EAB) welcomes two new members, Melissa Hockstad and Amit Das.
Hockstad is president and chief executive officer of the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), the leading association representing the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. She is responsible for the overall leadership of ACI including advocacy, science and research, communications, sustainability, and business growth. She
currently serves on the board of the National Association of Manufacturers–Council of Manufacturing Associations. Hockstad received a master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Penn State in 1998 and a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from the University of Virginia.
“I am grateful for my time at Penn State, and I am honored to be able to contribute to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in this capacity,” said Hockstad. “I look forward to bringing my perspective to advise the department on current trends as well as future areas of opportunity within the field of materials science and engineering.”
Das is the director of new product development at State of the Art, Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania. The company manufactures high reliability chip resistors for mission critical applications and has been in business for more than fifty years. Das has been in this role for nineteen years, and he has helped the company develop several new products and processes. He has used the characterization tools available at Penn State’s Materials Characterization Lab (MCL) to improve properties of existing chip resistors, as well as for the development of new resistors with unique properties. He has more than twenty U.S. patents and has presented at several conferences. Das received his master’s degree in 1985 and doctoral degree in 1988, both in solid state science from Penn State. Das also earned
his MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University.
“Many great faculty members in the field of materials science at Penn State have been instrumental in the foundation for my career,” said Das. “This board membership gives me an opportunity to give something back.”
The EAB is a select group of representatives from industry, government agencies, academia, and the profession who advise the department on academic issues, current trends, and future directions in engineering.
For 115 years, Penn State has been recognized as a pioneer and leader in materials science education and research.
The roots of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) extend back to the establishment of the strong academic programs in metallurgy in 1907-08, ceramic technology in 1923, and fuel science in 1934. In 1967, the three programs served as the foundation to form MatSE. In 1972 the addition of the polymer science program and the interaction with the multidisciplinary solid-state science program completed what is now Penn State MatSE—one of the finest and most-balanced programs in the United States.
“2022 is an incredibly special year for our department, we are celebrating 115 years of excellence,” said Susan Sinnott, professor and head of the department. “This is quite the milestone for Penn State MatSE. Since its very beginning, our department has been a leader and an innovator—we are proud to build on that excellence today.”
The legacy continues with the national recognition the MatSE programs continually receive. The National Science Foundation ranks Penn State first in the nation in expenditures in the area of materials
science, and second in the nation in expenditures in the area of materials engineering for the fourth year in a row.
In the U.S. News & World Report rankings of undergraduate engineering programs in materials, Penn State MatSE is ranked tenth. In its latest ranking of graduate schools, the graduate program was ranked eleventh in the nation.
The success of MatSE has a lot to do with the very strong connection between education and research. At all levels—bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral—students experience innovation first-hand, while gaining the understanding of the fundamentals needed for their future success.
“In MatSE, our primary goal is for our students to receive the highest quality education from our faculty who are at the very top of their field,” said Sinnott. “Yes, high-quality research is very important to us, we use our research as one of our most important educational tools. Our faculty support our students’ participation in research at the graduate level and at the undergraduate level.”
A student-centric program is not a new concept in MatSE. Looking back, Patrick Yoder, an alumnus who earned his bachelor’s degree in 1987 and his master’s degree in 1989 in ceramic science and engineering, has fond memories of the friendships forged during his years as a student.
Today he is the principal engineer in refractory and ceramics at ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, and he was honored as a MatSE 2022 Tressler Lecturer.
“What I have always loved about the MatSE program, and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, is that it has always been a close-knit community,” said Yoder. “To me the experience was very intimate and very personal. The education I received was great, but the experience and comradery I got here was incredible.”
While celebrating the milestone of 115 years, MatSE is looking toward the future to continue to develop leaders in materials science and engineering, generate scientific discoveries, and enable new technology opportunities that serve 21st century societal needs through educational innovations, ground breaking research, entrepreneurial pursuits, and community outreach.
To find out about upcoming 115th MatSE Anniversary events and programs visit:
matse.psu.edu/115.
Digital publication: Imagine, Summer 2022
Also named a Dorothy Pate Enright Professor
On October 2, John Mauro, professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, will be formally inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He was selected for “developing and applying data-driven models and machine learning that enable high-strength, damage-resistant glasses,” according to the NAE.
Mauro is among the 111 new members and 22 international members elected to the NAE; bringing the total U.S. membership to 2,388 and the number of international members to 310.
“I feel deeply honored to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering,” said Mauro. “I am very grateful to my family, teachers, colleagues, and students for everything they have taught me and for all of their support.”
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding
contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
Additionally, Mauro has been named a Dorothy Pate Enright Professor. This endowed professorship was established through a gift of $1.33 million from the estate of Dorothy Enright. An endowed professorship is among the highest honors bestowed on a faculty member.
Enright, who earned her master’s degree in ceramic science in 1948 from Penn State, established the professorship to provide supplemental funds to an outstanding faculty member to continue and further their contributions to teaching, research, and service.
“Well deserved honors for Professor Mauro,” said Susan Sinnott, professor and head of the department. “He is a man of incredible talent and a tremendous asset to our MatSE family.” (Susan - sample quote, please make your own)
A career in industry
Before coming to Penn State, Mauro was already a world-recognized expert in fundamental and applied glass science, statistical mechanics, computational and condensed matter physics, thermodynamics, and the topology of disordered networks. He is the co-inventor of three iterations of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, a thin, durable, touch-sensitive, cover glass that has been used in billions of cell phones, tablets, and touch-screen devices worldwide. Mauro developed Gorilla Glass compositions and dozens of other patented products and processes during his 18-year career at Corning.
A lasting impact
When Mauro joined the MatSE faculty in 2017, he was full of excitement about sharing his love and passion for glass with students and colleagues as well as the multitude of research opportunities that would make a difference for the Penn State community and the general public.
“Fostering a student’s love of science can have a multiplying effect,” Mauro said. “By myself, I can only do so much. But working, training, and helping the next generations of scientists and engineers become contributing members of the community that will go on to inspire new people, is a cascading effect with meaning.”
Today, as the chair of Penn State’s Intercollege Graduate Degree Program (IGDP) in Materials Science and Engineering and associate head for graduate education in the department, his enthusiasm extends far beyond glass when he talks to prospective graduate students. Mauro is captivating as he tells the story of the people involved with IGDP who are achieving intellectual excellence, while simultaneously placing a high value on community. It is important to Mauro to continue to foster a very positive, cooperative, and family-like environment within the program.
“Navigating graduate school can be a tumultuous journey, and I consider myself very privileged to be under Dr. Mauro’s tutelage in this regard,” Karan Doss, MatSE Ph.D. candidate. “He provides his students unparalleled academic freedom and taps into his vast knowledge and experience to back you every step of the way.”
Mauro is sure to continue to be a significant contributor in the field of materials science as a researcher, but also as a teacher and mentor to the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Digital publication: Imagine, Summer 2022
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