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N E W S F R O M M I T ’ S D E P A R T M E N T O F M A T E R I A L S S C I E N C E A N D E N G I N E E R I N G

N A N O - M I C R O - M A C R O - M O L E C U L A R - C R Y S T A L - D E N D R I T E - I N T E R F A C E

L E T T E R F R O M T H ED E P A R T M E N T H E A D

Dear friends,

I write this at the completion of my second year asdepartment head and am amazed by all the positiveevents that have taken place in Course III and at MITsince our last newsletter in spring 2007. However, onesad note was the passing of our dear friend and col-league Walter S. Owen, department head from 1973 to1982 (see page 12).

We were delighted that so many of you were able to joinus at our Commencement ’07 celebration. The MSE tentwas the scene of a joyous gathering of grads, families,alumni, faculty, students, and staff immediately after theceremony ended. Highlights included awarding variousacademic prizes to undergraduates and graduate stu-dents as well as distributing the bronze MIT medals castin the Course III foundry by a student team. All alums areinvited to the party under the “Course III Tent” forCommencement ’08—details will be announced in thespring.

Research volume in MSE is running at an all-time highand we currently have approximately 230 graduate stu-dents, including 26 in the successful Master ofEngineering Program.

The MSE faculty continue to do great research and gar-ner significant awards. In July, three of our young facultymembers received well-deserved promotions. We’reproud that their accomplishments have been publicly rec-ognized in this way.

Another big news item was the announcement in July ofour very own Prof. Subra Suresh as the new Dean of theSchool of Engineering. A materials person leading the

Faculty Promotions: 03

Events: 06

Honors: 09

Obituary: 12

Ned Thomas and friend.

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best school of engineering in the world has to be good!Indeed, the School of Engineering is now undertaking afive-year strategic planning exercise and Dean Suresh’svision is to keep MIT’s School of Engineering Number 1internationally.

The most obvious change this year was the “big move”that took place in August with the relocation from ourtemporary Headquarters on the fourth floor of Building35 (originally the site of the Metals ProcessingLaboratory) to the first floor of Building 6, just off theInfinite Corridor (see Dean Suresh’s description of thespace dedication on page 4). We are now in a great loca-tion, and everyone is delighted with the new space, espe-cially with the new Chipman Room that is in regular use.(The first official event portended well: A successfuldefense of a Ph.D. proposal!) Please stop in for a tour ofthe new offices.

A smaller building project was the completion of Prof.Silvija Gradecak’s laboratory renovation. Her lab featuresthe first Metallorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition unit(MOCVD) to make GaN nanowires at MIT. A newly pur-chased cathode luminescence attachment for the JEOL2011 electron microscope in CMSE is being used by theGradecak group to measure optical properties at ultra-high spatial resolution.

In September we held the finals for the first MaterialsDesign Competition with over 100 people attending (formore, see page 6). Based on the success of this event, weare already planning the next MSE student competitionwith a second year of support fromDowChemical as wellas new support from Saint Gobain and General Motors.

Reflecting the Department’s strength in materials relatedto the problems of energy and sustainability, MSE spon-sored a four-hour mini-symposium in November (seepage 7). Many local alumni/ae attended and many morehave watched the event through a weblink. Course III isvery heavily involved in on campus energy activities andit has been Course III graduate students who have spear-headed the MIT Energy Club (see article on page 10).

ABET, Inc., (the former Accreditation Board forEngineering and Technology) reviewed the School ofEngineering in October. Prof. Linn Hobbs most ably ledour effort along with Prof. Caroline Ross (Chair of theUndergraduate Committee). This intensive review takesplace over a two-day visit, every six years. The assessorsfound that MSE’s undergraduate program is in excellentshape, covering all key aspects of what is expected in amodern bachelor’s engineering degree.

Our annual Boston MRS Alumni/ae Event was very wellattended again this year. A nice blend of young and not-so-young alums was at the Sheraton to share memoriesand network.

We continue to sponsor a seminar series open to the MITmaterials community; an exciting part of this series is the“Round Table Lunch,” which brings together the seminarspeaker, a few faculty, and, most importantly, severalgraduate students and post-docs to share in a luncheonright after the Friday noontime seminar. These sessionspromote in-depth discussion of the speaker’s seminartopic and are a means for cross-fertilization betweenmembers of the department.

Of course, no materials science and engineering newslet-ter covering Fall 2007 would be complete without men-tion of the Boston Red Sox. Their heroics are now leg-endary with their secondWorld Series victory in just threeyears after 86 years of drought! Not to be outdone, thePatriots are now 14-0 and even the Celtics are having agreat season!

With warmest wishes,

Ned Thomas77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 6-113Cambridge MA 02139-4307617-253-5931.email: elt@mit.edu

F A C U L T Y P R O M O T I O N SAs of July 1, Nicola

Marzari and ChrisSchuh were both pro-moted to associateprofessor with tenure.Francesco Stellacciwas promoted to asso-ciate professor withouttenure.

Prof. Marzari joinedthe MIT faculty in2001; his research isdedicated to the devel-opment and application of electronic-structure methodsto understand, predict, and design complex materials anddevices, and with a special research focus on nanotech-nology, energy conversion and harvesting, multifunction-al materials, and biologically-inspired materials. His con-tributions to MIT's educational enterprise have beenexcellent—establishing or expanding our undergraduateand graduate offerings in computational modeling, andin the development of our new undergraduate curricu-lum. These educational activities extendwell beyondMITboundaries, with schools and workshops in electronic-structure modeling organized across five continents.

Prof. Schuh joined theMIT faculty in 2002; he hasmade significant contributions to materialsresearch in three main areas: understanding ofgrain-boundary interface networks, design ofnanocrystalline alloys, and mechanisms of defor-mation at the nanoscale. His research interestsfocus on the design of new structural materials,primarily through the control of microstructuraldisorder at different length scales. At the submi-crometer scale, he is leading the concept of grain-boundary engineering whereby many materialproperties can be improved by as much as anorder of magnitude through tailoring the structureof internal interfaces. Prof. Schuh is also develop-

ing new processing methods for the design and controlof nanostructure in alloys. These processes may produceadvanced coatings with high hardness, abrasion resist-ance, and structural stability. Finally, he has active pro-grams studying the strength and deformation mecha-nisms in amorphous and nanocrystalline materials, whichare viewed as next-generation structural materials and in

which the finest possible nano-scale structures can bedeliberately introduced through clever engineeringstrategies.

Prof. Stellacci, also at MITsince 2002, focuses on thestudy and use of largesupramolecular assembliesof molecules. His group isparticularly interested in sit-uations where these assem-blies can develop collectiveproperties that are uniquelydetermined by their struc-ture and molecular func-tions. He has establishedhimself as a world leader inthe area of the nanoscaleassembly of molecules on metal particles to create ultra-fine scale spatially defined molecular arrangements. Hisstudy of the interactions of these composite particles withorganic and inorganic surfaces is leading to entirely newdirections in structure-property relationships at thenanoscale. In 2006, Prof. Stellacci received the JuniorBose Award for Excellence in Teaching.

R E C E N T A P P O I N T M E N T S

Subra Suresh, Ford Professor of Engineering, Sc.D. ’81Course II, succeeded Institute Professor ThomasMagnanti as the dean of the School of Engineering thispast July.

In making the announcement, Provost L. Rafael Reifnoted that MIT’s School of Engineering has “long held aunique national and international position of preemi-nence in both education and research. I am certain thatin his new role as dean, Professor Suresh will continue thetradition of outstanding school leadership.”

Suresh, head of the department from 2000 to 2005, “isnot only an accomplished academic leader, but also ascholar and teacher of the highest distinction,” Reif said.Suresh holds faculty appointments in MSE, mechanicalengineering, biological engineering and the Harvard-MITDivision of Health Sciences and Technology (HST). He isa member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Suresh is a strong proponent of innovative internationalcollaborations in teaching and research. He was the

Nicola Marzari

Francesco Stellacci

Chris Schuh

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Around MSE

founding chair of the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)Program on Advanced Materials and is the foundingdirector of the Global Enterprise for Micromechanics andMolecular Medicine (GEM4), which brings together 14participating institutions from the United States and anumber of foreign countries.

Suresh’s current research focuses on experimental andcomputational studies of themechanical responses of sin-gle biological cells and molecules and their implicationsfor human health and diseases. His prior and ongoingwork has also led to seminal contributions in the area ofnano- and micro-scale mechanical properties of engi-neered materials.

His many awards and honors include election to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences and severalnational academies. Last year, he received the ActaMaterialia Gold Medal for “pioneering research” into themechanical properties of materials and was selected byMIT’s Technology Review magazine for its TR10 list asone of the ten scientists whose research will have “a sig-nificant impact on business, medicine or culture” in theyears ahead.

A 1977 graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology inMadras, Suresh received a master’s from Iowa StateUniversity in 1979 before pursuing doctoral studies atMIT, where he received the Sc.D. in 1981.

Chris Schuh has been appointed to a two-year term asthe Danae and Vasilios Salapatas Associate Professor ofMetallurgy. Caroline Ross has been recognized for heroutstanding research in magnetic materials and dedica-tion to the undergraduate curriculum with an appoint-ment to the Toyota Professor of Materials Science andEngineering.

Su H. Chung took on the position of Director of theAdministrative Services Organization (ASO) in July. Suhas worked at MIT for the past twenty years with animpressive track record of hard work and commitment toexcellence; Su comes to us from the Center forTechnology, Policy and Industrial Development (CTPID),where she held the position as the Administrative Officerfor the past seven years.

Su holds a B.A. in Education from Yonsei University,Seoul, Korea, and an Ed.M. in Human Development fromHarvard Graduate School of Education.

Sidney Carter has joined MIT as a Lab Supervisor andTechnical Instructor in the Center for Materials Researchin Archaeology and Ethnology. He will be in charge of allthe Center’s labs and will assist faculty in teaching labs.He received his Ph.D. from Stanford, in Earth Sciences.

F A R E W E L L SEllie Bonsaintretired this fallafter manyyears at MIT.She was well-known andbeloved in thedepartment asthe adminis-trative assis-tant to RonL a t a n i s i o n ,F r a n c e s c oStellacci, and Krystyn Van Vliet, but as the administratorof the Science and Engineering Program for Teachers(SEPT), she was the face of MIT. In recognition of herhelpfulness and good nature, the SEPT alumni/ae haveestablished a scholarship in Ellie’s name.

Amanda Tat has left ASO to be the AdministrativeOfficer at the Center for Environmental Health Sciences.Her talents and dedication to the department financesover the past several years are greatly appreciated andwill be dearly missed.

R E C O G N I T I O NLeia Amarra, Sara Darcy, Edith Jaehne, and RichardLay of ASO were recipients of the 2007 Infinite MileTeamAward from theOffice of the Associate Provost andVice President for Research.

Professors Ronald Ballinger, S.M. ’78, S.M. ’77 andPh.D. ’82 Course XXII, Linn Hobbs, Dorothy Hosler,and Carl Thompson, ’76, all joined the Quarter CenturyClub this past year. Esther Greaves Estwick of ASO wasalso a Quarter Century Club inductee.

U P D A T E SThe computers in the Graduate Lounge have beenreplaced, to the great appreciation of students toolingaway at all hours of the day and night.

Ellie Bonsaint and some of hermany MIT well-wishers.

accomplish together. Their willingness to come togetherto work for the common good of MIT made it possible tocreate a new infrastructure that could not be executedpreviously.

“The MSE portion of PDSI was made possible by a num-ber of highly dedicated and hard-working people. First ofall, the MSE faculty had the wisdom and foresight tostrongly support this joint venture. Prof. Sam Allen, thenExecutive Officer of MSE, Robin Elices, thenAdministrative Officer for MSE, and Gerry Hughes,Facilities Manager for MSE, all played a key role in theplanning and execution of this project.

“Funding for the NanoLab came from outside donors,mainly the late Mr. Harold Hindman (Mech. Eng. ’42)and the late Mr. George Burr (Physics ’41), cofounders ofInstron Corporation, from a matching gift from Instronexecutives, and from a grant for instrumentation fromthe United States Office of Naval Research. The UGTLwas made possible through support from the LordFoundation of Massachusetts, MIT through CRSP, andHanyang University.

“I look forward to working with Dean Kastner in thecoming years to create even bigger collaborative projectsbetween the School of Engineering and School ofScience.”

E D I T O R :

Rachel A. Kemper, MSE Communications Coordinator

O R I G I N A L D E S I G N :

Marc Harpin, Rhumba

P R I N T I N G :

Kirkwood Printing, Wilmington, MA

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S :

Thanks to Prof. Suresh for his contributions to the build-

ing renovation article, Prof. Allen for his assistance in

writing about Prof. Walter Owen, Mike Tarkanian for

writing about the Rapid Fabrication lab, and the MIT

News Office for items about promotions and MADMEC.

Nathaniel Berndt provided proofreading support.

PSB 07-12-1011

The “Physics Space Swap” is finally completed and thedepartment has moved into its new home on the firstfloor of Building 6. At the dedication, Prof. Suresh, Deanof Engineering, gave the following remarks:

“I am very pleased to participate in this event whichmarks the completion of an extraordinary collaborationbetween the Physics Dept. in the School of Science, andMaterials Science and Engineering in the School ofEngineering. The MSE portion of the project has actuallybeen undertaken in several stages.

“When I was appointed Head of the Department ofMaterials Science and Engineering in January 2000, MarcKastner, who was then the Head of Physics, emailed mecongratulations. During the course of the succeeding sixmonths, he and I held several meetings to explore howour two departments could swap space to create newphysical and intellectual space. It was the first time thattwo heads of departments from two different Schools atMIT have convinced their respective faculty members toagree to a space swap.

“MSE had much to gain: it is the only department at MITwith laboratory space along the Infinite Corridor, and thisspace was in the most pitiful physical condition in 1999.This space swap gave me an opportunity to create twonew laboratories along the Infinite Corridor: theNanoLab and the Undergraduate Teaching Lab (UGTL).The NanoLab, opened in March 2002, is used todayessentially around the clock by faculty and students from11 different departments and several centers from acrosstheMIT campus and from several different schools. It hasbecome one of the most visible laboratory spaces in thecountry, with exciting cutting-edge research.

“The UGTL was opened in September 2003 duringCourse III’s most comprehensive curriculum innovation infour decades. Today, the new Chipman Room and thenew MSE Headquarters are open, bringing the depart-ment’s administrative and teaching activities to one ofthe most highly visible locations within MIT, in a newlyrenovated corner of the main group.

“The collaboration with Physics also points to somethingmuch bigger than what two individual departments can0504

Building Initiatives

Events

M A D M E CThe inaugural MADMEC (MIT and Dow MaterialsEngineering Contest) was held in September. MADMECchallenged student teams to use principles of materialsscience and engineering to build a prototype device thatharvests, stores, or exploits alternative energy sources.Teams were judged on the creativity, practicality, andpotential useful impact of their inventions.

The BioVolt team won first prize with the concept ofusing biomass to generate energy and shrunk it to fitinside a handheld device that could be used to charge cellphones. The device generates electricity from cellulosicbiomass for household use in economically underdevel-oped countries. In particular, it is designed to chargemobile phones in rural areas where electricity can bescarce.

Professor Ned Thomas said the judges were impressed bythe team’s creativity. The BioVolt prototype uses anaero-bic micro-organisms to digest cellulose and convert it toelectricity and water in a microbial fuel cell.

Members of the winning team, which took home$5,000, are graduate students Ethan Crumlin, GerardoJose la O’, and Joseph Walish, and sophomores JohnCraven and Andrew Hoy.

The second place ($3,000 prize) team was BiogasNicaragua, which included 2007 graduates ChrisTostado and Julian Villarreal and sophomores XavierGonzalez and Russell Rodewald. Biogas Nicaragua’sprototype uses microbes to convert biomass such as cropwaste and animal dung into methane that can be usedfor cooking. The team has set up a testing station inNicaragua and plans to continue the project nextsummer.

Third place ($2,000 prize) went to the Curie Brothers,who designed a prototype to improve automobile engineefficiency. Their redesigned piston generates electricity bypumping fluid out of the piston in response to the vibra-tions felt in a car’s suspension. This energy can be storedin the car’s battery. Team members are seniors VladimirTarasov and Paul Abel, and junior Shakeel Avadhany.

to learn more

about activities taking place within MSE,

please visit our website at http://dmse.mit.edu

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Members of BioVolt with the Dow representatives.

Biogas Nicaragua on site.

The Curie Brothers with their prototype.

The Curie Brothers are in the process of getting a patentfor their design and are entering a number of business-plan competitions.

Judges for the competition were Professors GeneFitzgerald, ’85, Michael Cima, Yoel Fink, Ph.D. ’00, andFrancesco Stellacci, plus Cora Leibig, S.B., S.M. ’93Course X, and Ted Carnahan, Ph.D. ’91 Course V, repre-sentatives from contest sponsor Dow Chemical.

Contest organizer Michael Tarkanian, ’00, S.M. ’03, atechnical instructor in MSE, praised the teams, “they hadsome really good ideas, and some great prototypes werebuilt. Everybody should be pleased with the results.”

Plans for a 2008 contest are underway, with several otherorganizations signed on to sponsor.

F R O N T I E R S O F M A T E R I A L SS C I E N C E

In front of a standing-room-only crowd, this minisympo-sium was held in November with a focus on MaterialsChallenges, New Developments, and PotentialSolutions to the Energy Problem.

Prof. Ernest J. Moniz, Professor of Physics and Cecil andIda Green Distinguished Professor and the Director ofMIT Energy Initiative, explained the larger energy issuesand challenges facing the world. Prof. Gerd Ceder

brought a materials perspective to these issues. After abreak for lunch (during which the pizza ran out before allwere served), Prof. Yet-Ming Chiang, ’80, Sc.D. ’85,founder of A123 Systems, discussed rechargeable batterytechnology for electric vehicles. To close out the day, Prof.Sanjeev Mukerjee of Northeastern University then dis-cussed fuel cells.

The talks were recorded and are available for viewing; seehttp://dmse.mit.edu/frontiers for the link. We plan anabridged version of this event for IAP on January 8 and9. A similar minisymposium on solar energy will be heldin the spring.

W U L F F L E C T U R E

Alan Taub, Executive Director responsible for GMResearch & Development, delivered the Fall 2007 WulffLecture, Materials Challenges for a SustainableAutomotive Industry.

The Wulff Lecture is named for the late Prof. John Wulff,an educator renowned for his ability to entertain whileinspiring and educating. Wulff Lecturers are given thechallenge to present exciting, current research in materi-als science, in an engaging and irreverent way, in order toinspire, entertain and provoke their audience.

Dr. Taub discussed how fuel economy requirements,emissions regulations, concerns about global climate, andthe push for energy independence are impelling the autoindustry to develop more sustainable vehicles. As the

0706 Dr. Alan Taub of GM, Fall 2007 WulffLecturer, with Ned Thomas (left).

Prof. Gerd Ceder beginning his explanation of theMaterials Genome project.

S P E C I A L S E M I N A R

MIT and the Consulate General of Japan in Boston host-ed a seminar on Advanced Materials presented by Prof.Akihisa Inoue, President of Tohoku University of Japan.Prof. Inoue addressed an audience of MIT materials sci-ence students and faculty, as well as representatives fromJEOL USA who assisted with the event on September 19.

Marking the occasion of Tohoku University’s hundredthanniversary and the university’s new initiatives in nano-technology and materials science research, Prof. Inoue isvisiting key universities and research institutions aroundthe world.

industry works to integrate new technologies into cars onthe road, it becomes increasingly apparent that the majorchallenges are materials related: Achieving sustainabilityrequires cutting-edge innovation in virtually every area ofautomotive technology, including advanced propulsion,lightweight and smart materials, electronics, controls andsoftware, and telematics.

Dr. Taub oversees GM’s science laboratories around theworld. These labs focus on advanced powertrain sys-tems, computer-based design and analysis systems forvehicle engineering, electronics and information-basedvehicle systems, new materials and fabrication processes,new, more environmentally friendly fuels and lubricants,and more efficient emission control systems. In addition,he has responsibility for GM’s advanced technical workactivity, which manages major innovation programswithin the company, as well as GM’s global technologycollaboration network, which is managed through sci-ence offices located around the world.

Dr. Taub is a materials engineer with a bachelor’s degreein materials engineering from Brown University and mas-ter’s and Ph.D. degrees in applied physics from HarvardUniversity. He has been an active member of theMaterials Research Society and the Industrial ResearchInstitute and serves on advisory boards of several institu-tions, including Harvard, Brown, MIT, Northwestern, andthe National Science Foundation.

Prof. Inoue of Tohoku University (right) discussesbulk glassy alloys with Ned Thomas and JEOL USACEO and President Bob Santorelli (center).

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F A C U L T Y H O N O R SProf. Gerbrand Ceder, the instructor of 3.20 Materials atEquilibrium and 3.320 Atomistic Computer Modeling ofMaterials, received a Graduate Student Council TeachingAward.

The American Association for the Advancement ofScience has announced this year’s class of new fellowsincluding Klavs F. Jensen, the Warren K. Lewis Professorof Chemical Engineering and Materials Science andEngineering and department head of ChemicalEngineering, for "the elegant use of detailed simulationsof reactive systems to gain new insight into the underly-ing basic physical and chemical rate processes.”

During Don Sadoway’s travel to China this spring, hegave a lecture at the University of Science andTechnology, Beijing, where he was made an HonoraryProfessor, met with the President of the University (him-self a metallurgist), and was treated like an emperor.

The Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS)has selected Prof. Subra Suresh, Sc.D. ’81 Course II, asthe recipient of the 2007 European Materials Medal, itshighest and most prestigious honor. FEMS comprises agroup of materials science and engineering professionalsocieties from 24 European countries.

Prof. Suresh was an invited speaker for MIT’s MechanicalEngineering Seminar Series, presenting a talk on “CellDeformation and Connections to Human DiseaseStates.”

Prof. Harry Tuller received the Edward Orton, Jr.Memorial Award at the MS&T ’07 Conference held inDetroit, Michigan, for scholarly attainments in the ceram-ic or related field and presented a plenary lecture entitled,“Micro-Ionics: A Revolution in Portable PowerGeneration & Environmental Sensing."

Prof. Tuller was invited to be a Distinguished Lecturer atthe University of Texas-Austin’s Nanotechnology andMaterials Seminar series.

U N D E R G R A D U A T ES T U D E N T A W A R D S

Runye Helen Zha received the award for Best InternshipReport for “Stability of Polypyrrole Films over Long-TermRedox Switching,” and was also named OutstandingSenior, Class of 2007. Helen is now a grad student inMSEat Northwestern.

Nathan Pfaff received the Horace A. Lubin Award forOutstanding Service to MSE for his role as the SUMSTreasurer (2006) and the Materials Advantage Treasurer(2006–2007). Nathan biked across the US over the sum-mer raising money for cancer research. He is currentlyenrolled in the Materials Department at the University ofCalifornia, Santa Barbara.

Hannah Reitzel received the award for OutstandingSenior Thesis for “Pottery Engineering in AncientGuerrero, Mexico: The Site of Las Fundiciones.”Hannahis now enrolled in MIT’s MSE graduate program.

Jill Rowehl was named Outstanding Junior, Class of2008, and Johan Komander was named OutstandingSophomore, Class of 2009.

The New England Women's and Men's AthleticConference (NEWMAC) Fall 2007 Academic All-Conference Team includes Chris Bruce fromMen’s CrossCountry and Saahil Mehra fromMen’s Soccer. Chris andSaahil are both seniors.

G R A D U A T E S T U D E N TA W A R D S

Tiffany Santos received the Outstanding Ph.D. ThesisResearch Award for “Europium Oxide as a PerfectElectron Spin Filter.” Tiffany’s advisors were Prof. CarolineRoss and Dr. Jagadeesh Moodera of the Francis BitterMagnet Laboratory; she is now a post-doc at ArgonneNational Lab.

Prof. Krystyn Van Vliet, Ph.D. ’04, was honored as arecipient of the 2006 Presidential Early CareerAwards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).Established in 1996, PECASE is the highest honorthat any young scientist or engineer can receive inthe United States.

Awards and Honors

Ardavan Farjadpour received the John Wulff Award forExcellence in Teaching, for the second time. Ardavan wasthe TA for 3.024 Electronic, Optical, and MagneticProperties of Materials under the supervision of Prof.Yoel Fink.

Albert Swiston received the Graduate StudentCommunity Service Award. He is the co-founder of theMIT Science Policy Initiative, founding committee mem-ber of the Leadership for Public Service Lecture Series,and has been instrumental in organizing MIT’s participa-tion in Congressional Visit Days.

Megan Brewster received the 1st-Year GraduateStudent Exceptional Performance Award. Megan worksin Prof. Silvija Gradecak’s Lab.

Yeon Sik Jung received the Outstanding Paper by a 1st-or 2nd-Year Graduate Student for “Orientation-Controlled Self-Assembled Nanolithography using aPolystyrene-Polydimethylsiloxane Block Copolymer.”The paper, co-authored with Prof. Caroline Ross, wasfavorably reviewed by Nano Letters.

Johnathan Jian Ming Goh and Haw Yun Soo receivedthe Elsevier Outstanding Student Prizes, presented toM.Eng. students.

David T. Danielson was a recipient of the Karl TaylorCompton Prize, one of the highest student awards atMIT. He was recognized for his tireless efforts in startingand growing the MIT Energy Club.

George C. Whitfield is a recipient of the IntelFoundation 2007–08 Fellowships. These Fellowships areawarded to outstanding Ph.D. students in engineeringand computer science disciplines; the fellows receive fulltuition, $20k/year stipend, a free laptop, a trip to Intel tolearn about their technology, and interaction with a men-tor at Intel, with a possibility for one-year renewal.George holds the S.B. and M.Eng. fromMIT, has been aninstructor in Tae Kwon Do Club, and is a member of theTuller Group.

One of the winners of MPC’s Materials Day poster com-petition was Joseph Walish for “Extensively TuneableBlock Copolymer Photonic Gels.” His co-authors wereYoungjong Kang and Ned Thomas.

M I T E N E R G Y C L U BDavid T. Danielson, Ph.D. ’07, says that “mate-rials scientists have the capacity to be the rock-stars of renewable energy” because they willmake a difference in photovoltaics, batteries,ultracapacitors, capacitors, and thermoelectrics.He started the Energy Club in May of 2004 withthe aim of sitting downwith fellowMSE studentsto read and understand primary documentsabout research relating to energy issues. Hebelieves that discussing energy is truly an inter-disciplinary pursuit that requires lots of people toexplain and illuminate various aspects of thequestions and challenges.

This handful of students has grown to an organ-ization of more than 500 members open to all membersof the MIT community, including alumni/ae. The EnergyClub sponsors a bi-weekly lecture series, a discussionseries, regular socials, IAP activities, Energy Night, andan annual Energy Conference.

Recent IAP offerings include “The Fundamentals ofPhotovoltaics” and “The Materials Science of Renew-able Energy,” the latter taught by Dave, Elsa Olivetti(then MSE Ph.D. student), Ken Avery (MSE Ph.D. stu-dent), and Ryan Wartena (MSE post-doc). For EnergyNight in October, 44 presenters and more than 1200attendees came to the MIT Museum. The hit of thenight was the surprise arrival of a GM Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid concept car. The Energy Conference hasbrought in speakers from GM, Sun Power, and CERAwho addressed the 600 attendees on issues of biofuel,solar energy, and rechargeable batteries.

Dave made sure that the Energy Club would continueafter he completed his Ph.D.; the new leadership repre-sents the School of Engineering and the Sloan School.The Energy Club has helped launch the BioDiesel@MIT,the Electric Vehicle Team, First Step Coral, and the MITEnergy Generator; its alumni are taking positions in ven-ture capital, research, and development, as well as con-tributing to a mentorship program to link MIT studentsand professionals in the energy industry.

More on the Energy Club’s activities can be found athttp://web.mit.edu/mit_energy.

Dave Danielson

Emily B. Walton was theonly graduate student pre-senting during “RedefiningtheMIT Classroom,” a work-shop celebrating MIT facultyachievements in a forum fordiscussing and exchanginginnovative ideas aboutteaching and learning. Emilywas a presenter for“Students Create theWorld'sLargest Human GenomeModel.” She also con-tributed an image of adultstem cells, acquired by fel-low MSE grad student John

Maloney; this image was used widely to advertise theHuman Genome Trail during the Cambridge ScienceFestival.

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An example of the

Genome Trail advertising.

Xerox-MIT FellowshipIn 2007, the Xerox Corporation established a Xerox-MITFellowship Foundation to support several graduate stu-dents interested in areas of green processes and tech-

nologies, imaging and smart docu-ments, and nanotechnology andMEMS. The fellowships are awardedto students from groups that tradi-tionally have been underrepresentedin science and engineering. Each stu-dent is assigned a Xerox Sponsorwho acts as a research mentor. Theprogram launched with fellowshipsawarded to five students.

We are proud that Salvador Barrigaand Robert Mitchell, two of our first-year students,were awarded Xerox Fellowships.

Sal holds the B.S. in Physics from the University ofCalifornia, Berkeley. He has completed a summer intern-ship at Lincoln Labs and plans to pursue research in fab-rication and testing of optoelectronic devices andmagnetic materials.

Robert holds the B.S. in Materials Science and Engin-eering from Virginia Tech where he performed intern-ships at IBM’sAlmaden ResearchCenter and NASA’sGoddard SpaceFlight Center. Hewill performresearch in elec-tronic materialsdevelopment andnanotechnology.

Salvador Barriga (center) withProf. Van Vliet and Andy Hays,his Xerox Sponsor.

Robert Mitchell (center) withProf. Van Vliet and JohnAndrews, his Xerox Sponsor.

A L U M N I H O N O R S

Marcie Black, S.B. M.Eng. ’95, Ph.D. ’03 Course VI,Chief Technology Officer of Bandgap Engineering, wasan Outstanding Presentation Award Winner at the20th National Renewable Energy Laboratory IndustryGrowth Forum in November. Bandgap Engineering ofWestwood, Mass., is working to produce radicallymore efficient solar cells with maximum efficienciesabove 50% by nano-engineering silicon so it is opti-mized for electricity conversion. Dr. Black’s M.Eng.thesis advisor was Prof. Kim Kimerling.

David C. Dunand, Ph.D. ’91, MSE faculty member’91–’97, was named the James N. and Margie M. KrebsProfessor in the Department of Materials Science andEngineering at Northwestern University. The intent of thechair is to integrate economic and environmental con-cerns into teaching and doing research that is sensitive tostrengthening the US economy and simultaneouslyimproving regional and global environment. He was alsoelected Fellow of ASM International in 2007.

Dr. Robert D. Shull, ’68, group leader of the MagneticMaterials Group at the National Institute of Standardsand Technology (NIST), is now President of TMS. Hisresearch work at NIST is in nano-magnetism, with a focuson magnetic domain motion and magnetic refrigeration.

O B I T U A R YWalter ShepherdOwen, professoremeritus of physicalmetallurgy, died Oct.10 at MassachusettsGeneral Hospital. Hewas 87.

Owen joined MIT ashead of what was tobecome the Depart-ment of MaterialsScience and Engin-eering; during histenure as departmenthead from 1973 to1982, the depart-ment’s academic andresearch focus broad-ened from metallurgyto include ceramics, polymers, and semiconductors.Controversial at the time, this change created a depart-ment that today produces groundbreaking work inmicrophotonics, nanostructures, and bioengineeredmaterials.

He received the Bachelor of Engineering in metallurgy(1940), the M.Eng. (1942), and the Ph.D. in metallurgy(1950), all from the University of Liverpool. In 1951, hebecame a Commonwealth Fund fellow at MIT, where heserved as a member of the research staff from 1954 to1957. Over the course of his career, he held both aca-demic and administrative positions at several universities,including the University of Liverpool, where he was deanof Faculty of Engineering Science, Cornell University,where he directed the Department of Materials Scienceand Engineering, and Northwestern University, where hewas dean of the Technological Institute and vice presidentfor science and research.

Walter Shepherd Owen

He was deeply committed to the education of materialsscientists and engineers and to furthering the evolutionand development of the field of materials science andengineering, particularly in the areas of conservation,recycling, environmental concerns, public policy, andmaterials availability.

He is survived by his wife Geraldine Owen; his daughterRuthOwen and her husband Peter Sherman and her chil-dren Owen and Dylan Uscher; his stepson OrenLieberman and his wife Tanya Mergler and their childrenMattis Lieberman, Nitzan Lieberman, and Tyler Moore;and his stepdaughter Helise Lieberman and her husbandYale Reisner.

Remarks by Sam Allen at the Memorial Service forWalter Shepherd Owen, November 15, 2007.

Walter joined MIT in 1973, at an important juncture inour field: the emergence of what we now know asMaterials Science and Engineering from its roots inMetallurgy. The department, then Metallurgy andMaterials Science, included significant fiefdoms led bypowerful personalities, among them Morris Cohen, JohnElliott, and David Kingery. A recently published majorstudy by the National Academy of Sciences had givennational prominence to educational and research oppor-tunities in what it termed the “multidiscipline” of materi-als science and engineering. One of his first challengeswas to build consensus on renaming his department fromMetallurgy and Materials Science to the Department ofMaterials Science and Engineering, a change that heaccomplished in his second year as department head. Thechange was not universally popular, especially by somewho were irked that the word “metallurgy” had beendropped from the department’s title after first appearingin 1889, but other top-ranked departments soon madesimilar changes.

Walter led a major effort to diversify and revitalize thefaculty. In his decade of tenure as head, the department

hired 21 faculty, 13 of whom ultimately were tenuredand 7 of whom are still active. This period saw significantgrowth in the department’s ceramics and polymers pro-grams while retaining its historical strength in metallurgy.Walter’s stewardship of the department at this majorjuncture in its evolution was critical to sustaining our posi-tion in the succeeding decades as the top-rankeddepartment in our field.

Classroom teaching was also important to Walter and hewas for many years the lecturer in our undergraduateclass, Physical Metallurgy. I occasionally stood in whenWater was traveling, and I know his secret for being ableto be an effective teacher while also serving as depart-ment head: he gave multiple-choice examinations tominimize the time it took him to do the grading!

I met regularly with Walter in my first years as anAssistant Professor. He was full of advice and champi-oned his young faculty by working behind the scenes tocreate opportunities for us to grow and to succeedprofessionally.

After retirement, Walter maintained a research presence,was active in consulting, and gave sage advice to his suc-cessor department Heads whenever asked. He continuedto have a keen interest in the department, even as hishealth was failing. It was usually the main topic of con-versation whenever we met. I’ve treasured the opportu-nities to get his reactions to changes—invariably swiftlyand forcefully delivered, and nearly always hitting themark. His continuous support over the years has con-tributed substantially to my satisfaction with my work,and it and he will be sorely missed.

1312

Transitions

Joan S. Adams SM ’80Paul H. Adler SM ’81Brian S. Ahern PhD ’84Samuel M. Allen SM ’71, PhD

’75Steven Allen SM ’51, ScD ’59Antonella I. Alunni ’06James R. Alward ’75, SM ’77Tryggve G. Ange ’51Scot A. Arnold SM ’85, PhD

’89Arthur H. Aronson ’58Charles P. Ashdown PhD ’84Steven A. Attanasio PhD ’96Shuba Balasubramanian SM

’96Chester L. Balestra ’66, ScD

’71Mark G. Benz SM ’59, ScD

’61Ion Bita PhD ’06Frederick S. Blackall IV, SM

’75John E. Blendell SM ’76, ScD

’79Donald J. Blickwede ScD ’48David F. Bliss SM ’81John B. Blum SM ’77, PhD

’79Donald O. Bolger SM ’85J. Robert Booth ScD ’72H. Kent Bowen PhD ’71Tracy Barnum Braun ScD ’74William E. Brower, Jr. PhD ’69Caryl B. Brown SM ’95Paul E. Brown ’56, SM ’57,

ScD ’61

Relva C. Buchanan ScD ’64T. David Burleigh SM ’80 PhD

’85Pavel Bystricky PhD ’97John C. Campbell SM ’57Douglas J. Carlson ScD ’89Julius Chang ’82, SM ’82,

PhD ’89Anil R. Chaudhry SM ’83Andrew Chen SM ’91, PhD

’95Katherine C. Chen PhD ’96Jeremy Cheng ’01David R. Chipman ’49, ScD

’55Manoj K. Choudhary ScD ’80Edison C. Chu SM ’96William S. Coblenz SM ’77,

PhD ’81Joel A. Conwicke PhD ’69Normand D. Corbin SM ’82Christopher A. Coronado PhD

’94Catherine M. Cotel SM ’84,

PhD ’88lJeanne L. Courter PhD ’81David C. Cranmer SM ’81David S. Crimmins ScD ’64John M. Currie ’50Mark M. D’Andrea, Jr. ’58,

SM ’62Daniel B. Dawson SM ’67,

ScD ’73Mark R. De Guire PhD ’87Robert de Monts SM ’79Chrysanthe Demetry PhD ’93Raoul A. Desilets SM ’43

Joseph M. Dhosi SM ’59Philip A. DiMascio ’87, SM

’89Joseph M. Driear ScD ’80James L. Drummond SM ’70Michael A. Drzewinski ScD

’86David C. Dunand PhD ’91Julia C. Duncan SM ’94, ScD

’98Joseph M. Dynys PhD ’82Lawrence E. Eaton SM ’60George Economos SM ’51,

ScD ’54Sami M. El-Soudani SM ’72John W. Elmer ScD ’88Jim Eng ’35Erten Eser SM ’72, PhD ’78Ricky L. Ewasko ’78, SM ’82Ali M. Farah ScD ’96Howard C. Fiedler SM ’50,

ScD ’53Davis S. Fields, Jr. SM ’54,

ScD ’57Marc A. Finot ScD ’96Paul M. Fleishman SM ’82Frederick B. Fletcher ScD ’72Robert A. Frank ’83, SM ’85,

ScD ’89Gerald S. Frankel ScD ’85Robert L. Freed PhD ’78Douglas W. Fuerstenau ScD

’53Robert J. Furlong, Jr. SM ’77Amitava Gangulee ScD ’67Charles J. Gasdaska SM ’78,

PhD ’86John J. Gassner, Jr. ScD ’85Frank W. Gayle ScD ’85David M. Gibbons ’01Ralph G. Gilliland PhD ’68Emilio Giraldez Paredes PhD

’86Nev A. Gokcen ScD ’51Joseph I. Goldstein ’60, SM

’62, ScD ’64David S. Gollob SM ’80Lori M. Goodenough SM ’02Frank E. Goodwin SM ’76,

ScD ’79Mark S. Goorsky PhD ’89David M. Goy SM ’86Dodd H. Grande SM ’83,

PhD ’87Mark L. Green PhD ’88Manohar S. Grewal ScD ’72Vernon Griffiths ScD ’55Honglin Guo PhD ’98Ernest L. Hall ’73, PhD ’77Rodney E. Hanneman SM

’61, PhD ’64Steven S. Hansen ’71, SM

’75, Sc.D ’78Robert A. Hard SM ’49, ScD

’57Susan E. Hartfield-Wunsch

SM ’88Adam S. Helfant ’85

Michael V. Herasimchuk ’39Gregory J. Hildeman ScD ’78David C. Hill ’69, SM ’69,

PhD ’70Charles D. Himmelblau MAE

’75Christian C. Honeker PhD ’97William F. Hosford, Jr. ScD ’59Simone Peterson Hruda SM

’87, PhD ’92Gordon Hunter ’81, SM ’81,

PhD ’84Henry Inouye SM ’52Donald Jaffe ’52, SM ’53Bor Z. Jang SM ’79, PhD ’82Ann M. Jansen PhD ’96Mark H. Jhon ’01Earl C. Johns PhD ’85Timothy V. Johnson ScD ’87Bertrand G. Journet SM ’83,

PhD ’86Kenneth G. Jow ’02, SM ’03Janet L. Jozwiak ’82Debra L. Kaiser ScD ’85Karsten August Kallevig ’99Junichi Kaneko SM ’65, ScD

’67Shinhoo Kang SM ’80 PhD

’83Allan P. Katz ’69George A. Keig ScD ’66Thomas F. Kelly PhD ’82Ryan J. Kershner ’98, PhD ’04Jack Keverian ’50, SM ’51,

ScD ’54Heinz Killias PhD ’64JinSuk Kim ’06Yong-Kil Kim PhD ’88Yushan Kim ’07Christopher G. King ’82Peter F. King ScD ’57James D. Klein ScD ’84Gerald A. Knorovsky ScD ’77David B. Knorr SM ’77, ScD

’81Iwao Kohatsu PhD ’71Jurek K. Koziol PhD ’89George Krauss SM ’58 ScD

’61Melody M.H. Kuroda ’98,

S.M. ’01Raymond K.F. Lam ScD ’88Thomas Andrew Langdo PhD

’01Warren L. Larson SM ’47,

ScD ’50Felix Lau SM ’01Michael R. Lebo PhD ’71D. William Lee ScD ’58Hyuck Mo Lee PhD ’89Lidia H. Lee PhD ’84Jennifer A. Lewis ScD ’91Kathy Hsinjung Li ’05, MEng

’06Zhongtao Li PhD ’00Ching-Te Lin SM ’96, PhD

’98Der-Gao Lin PhD ’87

! MIT and MSE thank our generous alumni/ae for their support of

Course III during the fiscal year ending in June 2007. Gifts can

be made by visiting http://giving.mit.edu.

Donors

R A P I D F A B R I C A T I O N L A BWith the generous support of the Lord Foundation,MSEhas been making great strides in developing a new“Rapid Fabrication Laboratory.” This lab complementsthe existing traditional machine shop tools in MSE andwill vastly improve the machining, modeling and proto-

typing capabilities of the department, while cre-ating a space for students to work on hands-onprojects and enhance their engineering skills.

This semester, the department acquired a newCNCmill, a CNC lathe, and a 3D printer, and alsoinstalled an injection molder for student use.Before the spring semester, the Rapid FabricationLaboratory will add CAD/CAMworkstations anda laser cutter to its list of equipment. It is ourhope that this new laboratory will continue togrow over the years and enrich the educationalexperience of MSE students.

Minfa Lin ScD ’90Pinyen Lin PhD ’90Ulf H. Lindborg ScD ’65Herbert W. Lloyd SM ’52Isabel K. Lloyd PhD ’80Charles E. Lyman PhD ’74John P. Lynch, Jr. ’52Bruce A. MacDonald SM ’61,

PhD ’64Sanjeev Makan SM ’97Thomas O. Mason PhD ’77Lawrence J. Masur SM ’82,

PhD ’88Christine Matias ’97Satoru Matsuo PhD ’93Blythe E. McCarthy ’87, SM

’88Mary L. McCarthy SM ’81Kevin A. McComber ’05Robert L. McCormick SM ’82,

PhD ’85Michael E. McHenry PhD ’88Michael McNallan ’70, SM

’74, PhD ’77Gerald S. Meiling SM ’59,

ScD ’66Peter J. Meschter ’69Stephen A. Metz ’67, PhD

’70Arthur B. Michael ScD ’52Eugene J. Michal SM ’47, ScD

’51Reid A. Mickelsen ScD ’63Gary A. Miller ’60, SM ’61,

ScD ’65Thomas P. Moffat ScD ’89Francois R. Mollard SM ’60,

ScD ’67William Douglas Moorehead

SM ’02John E. Morral PhD ’69William G. Morris SM ’63,

ScD ’65Uchu Mukai SM ’92 ScD ’95Samuel K. Nash SM ’48, ScD

’51George E. Nereo SM ’63 ScD

’66Barbara M. Nichols ’94Carlos A. Nocetti MTE ’74,

SM ’74Walter Nummela ScD ’63Henry J. Nusbaum PhD ’77William R. Opie ScD ’49J.I. Orbegozo SM ’65Satyavolu S. Papa Rao PhD

’96James Pappis ScD ’59Robert I. Park ’88Woonsup Park PhD ’88Charles A. Parker SM ’81,

PhD ’84George W. Pearsall ScD ’61Richard W. Pekala SM ’83,

ScD ’84William D. Perez ’98Sean F. Peterson ’94William T. Petuskey ScD ’77Richard P. Phillips ’63Alfonso Pinella SM ’66Jerry D. Plunkett PhD ’61

Alan W. Postlethwaite SM ’49Aaron R. Prazan ’98Paul K. Predecki SM ’61 PhD

’64William R. Prindle ScD ’55Svante Prochazka SM ’68John W. Putman SM ’50 ScD

’53Daniel T. Quillin ’89Livia M. Racz ’89, PhD ’93Richard A. Rawe SM ’58Aldo M. Reti ’65, SM ’67,

ScD ’70William H. Rhodes ScD ’65Carl R. Ribaudo SM ’82Marc Louis Richard ScD ’05Richard E. Riman PhD ’87Tilghman Lee Rittenhouse SM

’99Jae-Sang Ro PhD ’91Martin D. Robbins SM ’56McDonald Robinson ScD ’67Neil E. Rogen SM ’56, MTE

’57Irwin B. Roll SM ’52, ScD ’58Alan R. Rosenfield ’53, SM

’55, ScD ’59Thomas A. Rowe ’66, SM ’67Edward L. Rubin ’83, SM ’84Michael F. Rubner PhD ’86Robert C. Ruhl PhD ’67Scott Ivan Rushfeldt MEng

’05Cecily A. Ryan ’00Anil K. Sachdev ScD ’77Jack P. Salerno PhD ’83Srikanth B. Samavedam PhD

’98K.K. Sankaran PhD ’78Catherine Marie Bambenek

Santini PhD ’02Tiffany Suzanne Santos ’02,

PhD ’07Thomas F. Schaub, Jr. SM ’95Susan L. Schiefelbein PhD ’96Elliot M. Schwartz ’89, PhD

’95Leslie L. Seigle ScD ’52Michele W. Sequeira ’89, SM

’91Italo S. Servi SM ’49, ScD ’51Ronald S. Shemenski PhD ’69Andrew M. Sherman ’67,

PhD ’72William M. Sherry PhD ’78Daniel A. Shiau ’01Bruce M. Shields SM ’52Scott A. Sikorski SM ’89, PhD

’94Ranjit Singh ScD ’70Shri N. Singh SM ’66, ScD ’69Charles H. Smith PhD ’82John H. Smith ScD ’64Un Taek Son SM ’65Philip P. Soo PhD ’00Carl D. Sorensen PhD ’85Edward S. Sproles, Jr. ScD ’76Julie E. Stein ’93Edward T. Stephenson, Jr. SM

’56Yusuf Sumartha SM ’97

Alan W. Swanson PhD ’72Yo Tajima PhD ’82Peter Tarassoff ScD ’62Julia C. Taylor ’89, SM ’91Paul L. Tremblay SM ’83Min-Hsiung Tsai ME ’72Cornelia K. Tsang ’00, SM ’01Chi-Yuan A. Tsao PhD ’90T.H. Tsiang ScD ’83John C. Turn, Jr. PhD ’79Johannes M. Uys ScD ’59Leo F.P. Van Swam SM ’70,

ScD ’73Thomas Vasilos G ’54Robert H. Walat ’93John H. Walsh ScD ’55David M. Walter ’84Christine A. Wang ’77, SM

’78, ScD ’84Michael J. Wargo ScD ’82Stanley I. Warshaw ScD ’61Michael J. Warwick SM ’88,

ScD ’91Ernst B. Weglein SM ’58,

MTE ’59

Janine J. Weins PhD ’70David O. Welch SM ’62Eric Werwa PhD ’97Bruce W. Wessels PhD ’73Michael D. Westphal ’91Denis W.G. White SM ’55,

ScD ’57Thomas R. White ’69Peter S. Whitney PhD ’86George G. Wicks PhD ’75Brian S. Wolkenberg SM ’00Wayne L. Worrell ’59, PhD

’63Jeryl K. Wright ScD ’73Eric John Wu PhD ’02James L. Wyatt ScD ’53Thomas A. Yager PhD ’80Man F. Yan ScD ’76John C. Yarwood PhD ’69Tri-Rung Yew SM ’87, PhD

’90Juris Zagarins MTE ’83Bizhong Zhu PhD ’97

M A Y E S F E L L O W S H I PVery few people have the ability to cover everythingfrom synthesis of new molecules, to theory and com-putational analysis of behavior, to designing useful,functional entities that are going to potentially havean impact on many things. . . Very few people havethe level of depth that she does in polymer physics, interms of being able to do theory and predict andunderstand the behavior of polymers, macromolecules—but also be able to implement that theory. . . Veryfew people on the planet can do all of those things aswell as she does. . . she’s an incredible blend.

Prof. Michael F. RubnerThe Anne M. Mayes Fellowship in Materials Science andEngineering honors Prof. Mayes’ contributions to theDepartment and the Institute. Income from the endowedfellowship fund will provide support for first-year gradu-ate students. The fund was started with a generous giftand has been supported with donations from colleaguesand friends as well as matching funds from the Dean ofEngineering and the Provost’s Office.

The Department has a goal of funding fellowships for allfirst-year graduate students. We are excited about thisopportunity to honor Anne’s commitment to students.

Anne’s association with MIT began her freshman year,when she fell in love with materials science. She joinedthe faculty in 1993 and was the first woman hired andpromoted from Assistant to Associate to full tenuredProfesssor in the history of MSE. Her commitment toteaching led her to introduce new disciplines, redesignthe laboratory subjects, and teach what she would havewanted to learn as a student.

1514

Many organizations, whether industry or academia, pro-mote themselves as places “where the future is beingmade today.” At MIT, we know that people we pass inthe hallway, or see at the coffee pot, or work with in thelab are doing something that will make the worlddifferent, maybe sooner than we expect.

In the past, Course III research changed the world bymaking steel stronger for improved shiphulls duringWorld War II, by contributing to the effort to fabricatehigh-temperature materials suitable for use in jet propul-sion engines, and by developing semiconductors to speedcomputers and communications.

Today’s materials research will bring about amazingprogress in medicine, in energy, and in the environment.

Several members of the MSE faculty are pursuingresearch that may lead to new ways to fight cancer andother serious diseases—quite a change for a department

with roots in metallurgy. Nanotechnologies are now usedto detect cancers, engineered materials are used inextremely risky and precise brain and spine surgeries, andvaccines can be delivered via synthetic materials.

You may have read about how the Chevy Volt will beusing a hybrid battery in 2010; that battery was devel-oped by A123 Systems, a company co-founded byCourse III alum and current faculty member Yet-MingChiang. Watch for future news from our energyresearchers.

Don Sadoway’s group is developing ways to make ironmills less environmentally harmful, going back to ourroots in big materials, as opposed to nano-research.

“Materializing the Future” means that we’re solvingproblems using materials science and engineering, doingwhat matters, and looking to change the world.

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