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I just received the sad news that one of the legends of materials science and of science, in general, Rustum Roy, passed away last week. Although he was a stellar researcher, he considered himself to be a citizen-scientist and urged his colleagues to deeply consider how science, society, art and education can interact in productive and nonproductive ways.

It is difficult to summarize Roy’s influence on the world of science, let alone just the fields of ceramics and glass. He held five professorships: three at Pennsylvania State University, one at Arizona State University and one at the University of Arizona. He was a 32-year member of the National Academy of Engineering, with the rare distinction also of having been elected to the National Academies of Science/Engineering of Russia, Japan, Sweden and India.

In 2003, the Institute for Scientific Information ranked Penn State’s Materials Research Laboratory, which he founded in 1962 and directed for a quarter century, first in the world on the basis of the number of highly cited scientists in the lab.

Roy left a permanent mark on the materials field, starting with its most fundamental base: phase diagrams and crystal chemistry. His discovery and championing of a new materials processing method — the sol–gel process — has been utilized (not only cited) in over 50,000 papers. His work in hydrothermal reaction, microwave processing, nucleation in glass, radioactive wastes, nanocomposites and superconductors have also left a permanent legacy.

Roy became a Fellow of The American Ceramic Society in 1961 and elevated to Distinguished Life Member in 1993. He had also sponsored one of the most anticipated annual lectures of ACerS: The Frontiers of Science Rustum Roy Lecture series that has been a fixture of the Society’s Annual Meetings.

Roy authored or coauthored hundreds of papers, founded and edited numerous newsletters and journals in materials science and engineering education. One of his recent papers appeared in the first issue of ACerS’ new International Journal of Applied Glass Science, “Glass Science and Glassmaking: A Personal Perspective,” [ed. note - this paper is available at no cost] and represents something of a tour de force of his career:

“This paper demonstrates how glass has provided one of the earliest, and still rare, examples of controlled use of science at the nanolevel in a well-established gigatechnology. The glass community - from the Venetian glass makers (and the science of luminaries such as Michael Faraday and Isaac Newton) down through major industrial successes such as glass-ceramics - are examples of excellent nanoengineers practicing clever applications of manipulation of matter at the nano and subnano scale. This paper describes the evolution of the understanding of nanoheterogeneity of the structure (and composition of virtually all useful glasses) that has been the key evolutionary ‘invention’ in this process. It then makes the case that glass (and polymer) technology has an enormous advantage over all of the nanomaterial technologies that are confronted with the enormous barrier of assembling large numbers of very small particles into useful products on a large scale, as recognized by the recently anointed patron saint of the present nanofever, Richard Feynman, in his only paper in the field. Finally, this paper introduces glass scientists to a radically new opportunity via a totally new way to convert crystalline matter into glasses (noncrystalline solids)-for all scientists interested in the glassy state.”

Roy also chaired the Science Advisory Committee of the Friends of Health, a nonprofit group that examines a range of disruptive innovations in human healing based on materials science and physics.

In an obituary on Penn State’s website, one of Roy’s colleagues, Carlo Pantano, had this to say:

“Rustum Roy made a difference for the field of materials science and for Penn State. He had a tremendous publication record extending back 60 years that people still refer to in their research. At every step of the way he seemed to be ahead of the curve, in research as well as in the way he managed the scientific enterprise. He was well-known to be an enthusiastic and provocative lecturer by students and colleagues alike. His crystal chemistry course was on every graduate student’s course list, in addition to numerous special topics courses he created in concert with the latest and hottest research topics in materials science.”

Roy was interested in science policy as much as science, itself, and he served as a science policy fellow at the Brookings Institution from 1982 to 1983 and was a visiting fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., from 1980 to 1985.

He was also a lay preacher and served on the board of the National Council of Churches and helped found the Sycamore Community church.

Finally, it is important to note Roy’s long-time marriage to fellow materials scientist Della Martin Roy, another legendary figure in the world of material science and policy.

Here is Roy’s formal obituary from the Centre Daily Times:

Rustum Roy, 86, of State College, died Thursday, August 26, 2010 at Foxdale Village.

Born on July 3, 1924, in Ranchi, India, he was the seventh child of the late Narendra Kumar and Rajkumari Roy. On June 8, 1948, he married Della Martin, who survives.

Also surviving are three children, Neill R. Roy and his wife, Evelina Francis, of State College, Jeremy R. Roy and his wife, Lydia, of Arlington, Tex., and Ronnen A. Roy and his wife, Sinaly, of Bethesda, Md.; two grandchildren, Simone and Naren; a brother, Prodipto Roy of India, and a sister Ioni Dipti Sisodia of Georgia; and by numerous nieces and nephews.

He received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from Patna University and received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University.

He was associated with Penn State for sixty-five years as a graduate student and faculty member. At Penn State he held positions as Evan Pugh Professor of the Solid State, as Professor of S.T.S., and as Professor of Geochemistry. He also was a Distinguished Professor of Materials at Arizona State University, and a Visiting Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona. He was appointed and served for 23 years as the first director of an independent interdisciplinary Materials Research Laboratory in the U.S. He was elected to numerous national and international scientific academies including the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. He co-founded the pioneering nterdisciplinary scientific society - the Materials Research Society- and continued to advance the boundaries of science and technology up to the present, including seminal research in the emerging field of water science, as well as resonance effects in condensed matter.

An outstanding aspect of his life was his capacity and dedication to breaking artificial boundaries in order to integrate science, religion, education, health, art and social action for human benefit. As an eight year old, in his parent’s house he met Gandhi, who discussed with his father how personal change was more effective for human advancement than technological change. Professor Roy’s solution in life was to pursue both.

He was very active in ecumenical religious life for over 60 years and co-founded the interdenominational Sycamore Community. His insight into the world’s main religions led him to work to break down the boundaries between Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and other religions. He served on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Churches, was a leader in the Kirkridge retreat center, and was the friend and colleague of many religious leaders including Bishop John Robinson, John Shelby Spong, Prof. Harvey Cox, Sister Joan Chittister and Reverend Gordon Cosby. He was also invited by the Pope to the Vatican committee regarding the rehabilitation of Galileo.

He was a champion of interdisciplinary K-12 schooling and was the driving force behind creation of the interdisciplinary field of Science, Technology and Society. He served as Science Advisor to a number of successive Pennsylvania Governors and chaired for many years the Science and Society Sector of President Mikhail Gorbachev’s State of the World forum.

Professor Roy became a champion of integrative medicine, resulting in alliances with pioneering figures including Andrew Weil, Deepak Chopra, Larry Dossey, B.M. Hegde, Marc Newkirk, Patrick Flanagan, Hans Peter Duerr, Vladimir Voeikov, and Yan Xin, with the purpose of bringing advances in the art and science of whole person healing to the wider public. He was founder and sponsor of Friends of Health, served as co-chair of the Chopra Foundation, and hosted a live Internet talk radio show on VoiceAmerica.com.

He was also a long time promoter of art and the field of art and science, and was responsible for bringing the works of artists, such as Barbara Hepworth, Max Bill, and Fredrick Franck, to the University.

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The premier issue of ACerS’ new quarterly glass journal has just been put online and - good news - all of the content of this first issue is available for free!

The International Journal of Applied Glass Science has been in development for over a year, and the demand for such a publication is the direct result of the growing call for glass and glass-related materials in the world’s emerging technologies, such as energy, medicine, transportation, construction, environment, optics and defense.

The inaugural issue of IJAGS is organized on the theme of “Modern Aspects of Non-crystalline Solids.” This theme allows editor L. David Pye and his international advisory board to present something of a survey of articles on modern glassmaking, glass science, strength, architecture, aesthetics, photo-electric properties and bioglass materials written by an amazing set of authors including Richard K. Brow, Larry L. Hench, Carol M. Jantzen and Rustum Roy.

Here is an abbreviated table of contents:

• Glass Science and Glassmaking: A Personal Perspective (p 3-15)
  Rustum Roy
• How Do Crystals Form and Grow in Glass-Forming Liquids: Ostwald’s Rule of Stages and Beyond (p 16-26)
  Jürn W. P. Schmelzer, Vladimir M. Fokin, Alexander S. Abyzov, Edgar D. Zanotto, Ivan Gutzow
• The Strength of Silicate Glasses: What Do We Know, What Do We Need to Know? (p 27-37)
  Charles R. Kurkjian, Prabhat K. Gupta, Richard K. Brow
• Durable Glass for Thousands of Years (p 38-62)
  Carol M. Jantzen, Kevin G. Brown, John B. Pickett
• Glass and Light (p 63-73)
  Hong Li, Mark J. Davis, Alexander J. Marker, III, Joseph S. Hayden
• Glasses for Photonic Applications (p 74-86)
  Kathleen Richardson, Denise Krol, Kazuyuki Hirao
• Glass Substrates for Liquid Crystal Displays (p 87-103)
  Adam Ellison, Iván A. Cornejo
• Glass and Medicine (p 104-117)
  Larry L. Hench, Delbert E. Day, Wolfram Höland, Volker M. Rheinberger
• Glass in Architecture (p 118-129)
  Mehran Arbab, James J. Finley

Both the print and online versions of IJAGS are produced in partnership with Wiley Periodicals.

The online version of future issues of IJAGS will always be available at no charge to ACerS members through the Society’s website, while subscriptions (or single-article purchases) to either version are available to the public through Wiley.

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Charles Vest

Some exciting news - Charles M. Vest will be giving the Rustum Roy Lecture at the ACerS annual meeting. His talk is tentatively titled, “Engineering Education and the Challenges of the 21st Century”and is scheduled for Oct. 25, 2009 in Pittsburgh. (The ACerS annual meeting is held in conjunction with MS&T’09.)

The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1990 through 2004, Vest is known for having placed special emphasis on enhancing undergraduate education, exploring new organizational forms to meet emerging directions in research and education, building a stronger international dimension into education and research programs, developing stronger relations with industry and enhancing racial and cultural diversity at MIT. He chaired the President’s Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station and serves on the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. He chaired the Department of Energy Task force on the Future of DOE Science Programs, was vice chair of the Council on Competitiveness for eight years. He has been nominated to serve as president of the National Academy of Engineering for the period of 2006-2012.

His viewpoint on education extends beyond MIT. Vest is a past chair of the Association of American Universities and a member of the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education.

Vest says this about his lecture topic (from the abstract):

This is the most exciting time for engineering and science in human history. A new generation of engineers will be inspired by the great human challenges of this century. Globalization and the changing nature of science and technology are driving change and opportunity in higher education, R&D, and innovation. R&D spending is smeared nearly uniformly around the world, and new players are rapidly emerging. Higher Education is globalizing in both planned and unplanned ways, enabled by information technology and driven by economic and social change. Our innovation system may be due for another major transformation. Do our universities have new responsibilities? Can we pull it off?

Vest’s talk is an honorary annual lecture organized by ACerS. The lecture’s namesake, Rustum Roy, is a professor at Pennsylvania State University, and the Society established the lecture series to recognize Roy’s contributions to science and technology, and their interrelationship to society-at-large. The lecture is given annually by an internationally or nationally recognized individual in the area of science, industry or government whom is selected by a special ACerS committee. The lecture is open to the public and no meeting registration is required to attend.

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In recent years, the Materials Science & Technology conference has become the broadest materials-oriented meeting in the United States. The 2009 MS&T conference - to be held Oct. 25-29 in Pittsburgh – will feature a novel symposium organized by Rishi Raj, with assistance from Rustum Roy and Dinesh Agrawal. Guest blogger Raj provides the following information about the symposium and encourages potential presenters to submit abstracts as part of MS&T’s call for papers.

“New Roles for Electric and Magnetic Fields in Processing, Microstructure Evolution, and Performance of Material”
Microwave sintering, spark–plasma–sintering, creep, superplasticity, grain growth and  phase–transformation are examples of  the strong influence of electrical and magnetic fields on processing, microstructure evolution and properties of materials. This symposium will provide an impetus to a new era of materials science where mechanical, chemical and electrical driving forces are coupled into a unified framework to explain dramatic new phenomena in the MS&T-world’s most significant materials.

The symposium addresses experimental findings, engineering implications, and fundamental mechanisms of these new transformative discoveries. It includes all materials from polymers, to ceramics, metals,  and semiconductors. The symposium is particularly interested in interfacial reactions in materials systems such as those used in batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen production from water.   - Rishi Raj

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