D.C. Summit Broadens Ceramics Perspective

TLC is usually a term of affection, but for more than 35 science and ceramics experts who met in Washington, D.C. April 24, the term meant Trends, Leadership and Challenges.


The broadly-themed meeting, held at the headquarters of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), was the 2008 ACerS Leadership Summit. The forum was designed to stimulate the thinking and question the assumptions facing association and engineering communities.

A complete report on the summit will be in the June issue of the Bulletin, but here are a few of the highlights from the session:

• John Graham, president and CEO of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), laid out some of the problems common to all member associations and outlined some strategic solutions. He warned about the gap that exists between what association board members think their members want – and what the members actually want. He said he urged all association leaders to be more data-driven in their decision-making duties and to be more “customer-centric.” He frankly admitted that associations had to operate with a lot of ambiguity because change is occurring so rapidly, and he urged ACerS leaders to capitalize on change instead of ignoring, or even worse, fighting it. He described the growing trend of members wanting to be “episodic” volunteers who tend to sign up for shorter commitments rather than long obligations. He also urged greater emphasis on youth and international involvement.



• Pat Dehmer, deputy director of the Office of Science at the U.S. Department of Energy, discussed the dimensions of energy problems facing the nation and the world. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, she called her talk, “The Energy Facts That Every Informed Citizen Ought to Know to be Conversant at a Cocktail Party and not be Bamboozled.” In fact, Dehmer offered examples of the acceleration of the types of what she called transforming energy sources in the last 200 years. Significantly, Dehmer reported that the world had grown less efficient with energy usage in the last 50 years, primarily due to the growing use of electricity and incandescent lighting. She warned that rapid change was needed, but also offered that with no natural “predator” for CO2, even a return to emission levels of a millennia ago would still not produce a significant drop in gas for centuries. She outlined several challenges “for science and the imagination,” and praised the emergence of several frontier research centers. She also outlined several new research funding opportunities offered by her agency’s Office of Basic Energy Services (BES).



• Harriet Kung, associate director of science at the Office of BES went into more detail about the links between energy technologies and ceramics. She outlined some of the recent breakthroughs related to hydrogen creation and storage, and low-temperature fuel cells. In regard to solid-state lighting, she said 100 percent efficient lighting was possible in the near future if atom-by-atom manipulation techniques continue to be perfected. Besides energy sources and lighting, Kung described advances in storage technologies to capture intermittent sources of energy and power.



• Arden L. Bement Jr., director of the National Science Foundation, described the problem of developing qualified engineering professionals in sufficient quantities to address national and international priorities. Bement urged a new national dialogue on creating strategic thinking about science and engineering, and prioritizing government-private sector resources to strategic goals instead of succumbing to the lure of fast profits.

Other highly-regarded speakers included Debra Kaiser, Division Chief, Ceramics, National Institute of Standards and Technology and Frank Huband, Executive Director, American Society for Engineering Education.

Thanks to all of the speakers, attendees walked away with a deeper understanding of the future challenges and opportunities for the field of materials science.

Dr. Ticora V. Jones Named as First Materials Societies Congressional Fellow

Dr. Ticora V. Jones has been selected as the first Materials Societies Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow. This distinguished fellowship is sponsored by The American Ceramic Society (ACerS), The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS), and the Materials Research Society (MRS).

Dr. Ticora V. Jones has been named as the first Materials Societies Congressional Fellow, working out of Washington D.C. The one-year appointment, which begins September 1, 2008, provides an opportunity for her to make a significant impact on matters of national policy that directly affect the materials community.

Jones will work as a special legislative assistant on the staff of a member of Congress or a congressional committee. The job includes conducting legislative and oversight work, assisting in congressional hearings and debates, and preparing briefs and writing speeches, all with the goal of improving the understanding of, and appreciation for, materials science among key legislators and policy makers. In addition, she will work to broaden awareness about the value of interaction between the federal government and the science and engineering community. A year-long seminar series on science and public policy issues, administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is also an important part of the program.

Jones earned her Ph.D. in Polymer Science & Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2006 and her BS in Materials Science & Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000. Jones was both an NIH fellowship recipient and a Ford Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellow during her graduate career. Prior to her graduate work, Jones spent a year working for AAAS, first as a middle school teaching fellow for a science and mathematics standards program in DC Public Schools, and then building infrastructure and creating content for the Minority Scientists Network, an online portal for Sciencecareers.org. Upon completing her doctorate, Jones worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

While in graduate school, Jones co-founded and chaired the Graduate Education and Career Development Initiative, an organization dedicated to providing new student orientation, seminars, and workshops for graduate students. In addition to this organization, she has also been involved in a number of outreach and educational programs designed to bring accessible scientific and technical role models to young students.

Jones is looking forward to the opportunity presented by the Fellowship to engage in the legislative process. She is interested in developing policies related to the funding of the scientific and technological enterprise, surrounding issues related to alternative energy, sustainability, and science education.

Jones will provide periodic reports to ACerS throughout her fellowship. Highlights of these reports will be shared with the members.

Material Advantage Students and Faculty in Washington D.C.

Nearly 50 Material Advantage students and faculty from around the country participated in Congressional Visits Days on Capitol Hill, April 9 and 10, 2008.


The cherry blossoms were in full bloom as students and faculty from around the country visited Capitol Hill for Congressional Visits Days (CVDs), April 9 and 10, 2008. The two day event, sponsored by The Federation of Materials Societies (FMS) and the Material Advantage Student Program, gave participants an opportunity to visit with Legislators and Congressional staff from their own states. The goal of the event was to educate Congress about the importance of research in materials science, engineering, and manufacturing and the need to increase federal R&D funding. Approximately 50 Material Advantage students and faculty from 8 schools participated in this event.

The CVDs began with a series of training presentations during the orientation session on the first morning. Federal budget overviews as well as a session on what Congressional staff want to hear were two of the topics during the orientation. In addition, an Administration and Congressional Panel were available to answer questions before students headed to the Hill.

After the orientation session, the students and faculty were divided into teams and, before heading to appointments with various Legislators for the remainder of the afternoon, developed their game plan and “practiced” their presentations. In addition to meeting with Congressional leaders, students also had the opportunity to meet with leaders of scientific agencies and societies, and attend congressional hearings. In the evening, the students and faculty attended a group dinner where they shared experiences and discussed outcomes of their first day.

On the following morning, more congressional visits occurred followed by a wrap-up luncheon and evaluation session during the FMS Board of Trustees meeting in the afternoon.

The Material Advantage Chapters that participated in Congressional Visits Days 2008 included:

Nominations Open for the Mueller and Bridge Building Awards

The Engineering Ceramics Division Invites Nominations for the Mueller and Bridge Building Awards by July 15, 2008.

James I. Mueller Memorial Award
This award recognizes the enormous contributions of James I. Mueller to the Engineering Ceramics Division and the field of engineering ceramics. It is the intent of this award to recognize the accomplishments of individuals who have made similar contributions.
The two main criteria used in selecting the recipient are:

Long-term service to the Engineering Ceramics Division, and Work in the area of engineering ceramics that has made a significant industrial, national, or academic impact.

Award selection can be based on either of these criteria or a combination of both. The award consists of a memorial plaque, certificate, and an honorarium of $1000.
The nomination deadline is July 15, 2008.
More Information on the James I. Mueller Memorial Award

Bridge Building Award
This award recognizes individuals outside of the United States who have made outstanding contributions to engineering ceramics. The two main criteria used in selecting the recipient are:

Contribution to the field of engineering ceramics, including expansion of the knowledge base and commercial use thereof, and Contribution to the visibility of the field and international advocacy.

The award can be based on either criteria or a combination of both. The award consists of a plaque, certificate, and an honorarium of $1000.
The nomination deadline is July 15, 2008.
More Information on Bridge Building Award

The Edward C. Henry Award and The Lewis C. Hoffman Scholarship: Nominations are now Open

The Electronics Division of The American Ceramic Society invites nominations for the Edward C. Henry Award (deadline July 11, 2008) and the Lewis C. Hoffman Scholarship (deadline July 18, 2008).

The Edward C. Henry Award is given annually to an outstanding paper reporting original work in the Journal or Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society during the previous calendar year, on a subject related to electronic ceramics. We are currently seeking nominations for the best paper published in calendar year 2007. More Information.


The Electronics Division also invites applications for the Lewis C. Hoffman Scholarship. The purpose of the $2000 tuition award is to encourage academic interest and excellence among undergraduate students in the area of ceramics and materials science and engineering. The award will be given to a junior-year student. More Information

The Cooper Scholars Award

The Glass & Optical Materials Division (GOMD) of The American Ceramic Society invites nominations for the second annual Cooper Scholars Award, deadline July 15, 2008.

The Glass & Optical Materials Division (GOMD) of The American Ceramic Society invites nominations for the second annual Cooper Scholars Award.

The purpose of the Cooper Scholars Award is to encourage and recognize undergraduate students who have demonstrated excellence in research in glass science or technology. The award will be presented during the GOMD Cooper Session at MS&T in October in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The award recipient will receive an award plaque, a check for $500 and up to $500 to offset travel costs to the meeting.

The nomination deadline for the 2008 award is July 15, 2008.

More information on the Cooper Scholars Award

Welcome New Corporate Members

The American Ceramic Society would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Corporate Members

ACerS recognizes organizations that have joined the Society as Corporate Members. Please join us in welcoming our newest corporate members. If you would like more information on becoming a Corporate Member, contact Megan Mahan or visit us at www.ceramics.org.

Anter Corporation
1700 Universal Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15235
Learn more about Anter Corporation

Avalon Ventures Ltd.
1901-130 Adelaide Street West
Toronto ON M5H 3P5
Canada
Learn more about Avalon Ventures Ltd

Institut fur Keramik im Maschinenbau
Haid-und-Neu-Str. 7
D-76131 Karlsruhe
Germany
Learn more about Institut fur Keramik im Maschinenbau

Join in May 2008 and receive a FREE gift!

Contact Megan Mahan for more information.

Get Free Online Access to the Journal of the American Ceramic Society,  ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1918

You're part of a very exclusive group -- even library subscribers don't have access back to 1918! Take advantage of this ACerS-only benefit whenever and wherever you want by following these steps:

1. Go to Ceramics.org and log in on the home page.
2. When logged in, either go to "What do you want to do today" list on the home page, or click on the Publications & Resources tab. From either place, click on the Journal of the American Ceramic Society.
3. You'll be brought to a membership verification page, and from there, click that you wish to continue to the content.
4. You'll then see a message that says to log in if you haven't already. You have already logged in so ingore this message. Click on the journal issue that you want to search, all the way back to 1918.

Happy searching!

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Offer expires May 31, 2008
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