Mar 19 2008
Howmet Professor of Engineering and Director of the Metal Processing Institute at WPI in Massachusetts, Diran Apelian, Ph.D., became the 52nd president of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) in an awards ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana, March 11. Professor Apelian succeeds Robert D. Shull, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Maryland, who held the post in 2007.
Professor Apelian addressed a room of more than 300 people in the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel about his goals for 2008, which involve the development of Web 2.0; supporting materials professionals in an expanding field; and addressing societal needs.
In regard to Web 2.0, Professor Apelian believes that while it is an excellent means of distributing knowledge and engaging future materials professionals, the risk is that the content may not always be accurate. “There is a role for professional societies to be guardians of the knowledge conduit.”
The role of supporting materials professionals today, Professor Apelian says, is also challenging as the field has broadened compared to 20 or 30 years ago. “We have materials scientists and engineers working in the fields of food processing, biomaterials, fuel cells, nanotechnology, nanostructured materials, MEMS, computational sciences, advanced polymers, drug delivery and pharmaceutical science, cell biology, biotechnology and bioengineering, etc.” Professor Apelian’s goal is to determine how to address the needs of the professionals in this expanding field.
Addressing the needs of society -- energy resources, transportation, housing, food distribution and packaging, recycling, health care delivery, climate change -- is also very important in Professor Apelian’s strategy. “It is crucial for us as a professional society to address the complex technological, professional, educational, societal, environmental, infrastructural and economical issues that challenge not only the sustainability of today’s world situation but improve it for those living in developing countries and secure it for future generations.”
Posted March 18th,2008