The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) today announced that Kathryn Logan, Arun Varshneya, and George Wicks have earned the distinction of Distinguished Life Membership.
Distinguished Life Membership is the highest honor accorded members of the scientific and technical organization, and is given in recognition of an individual’s eminent contribution to the ceramic and glass profession.
“Each year, the Society presents the title ‘Distinguished Life Member’ to our preeminent members who have made great advances in ceramic science and technology, given significant contributions to the benefit of the Society, and who have helped mentor and inspire our younger leaders through their research and teaching,” says ACerS President David Green. “While this award recognizes career achievement, it is fair to say that Kathryn, Arun, and George remain active members of our profession. I look forward to seeing what they do in the future, even as we celebrate what they have done so far.”
The trio will be inducted as Distinguished Life Members at the Society’s Annual Awards and Honors Banquet on Monday, October 13, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Kathryn Logan
Logan, principal research engineer emerita, Georgia Institute of Technology, and an adjunct professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute since 2010, previously held positions at Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science & Engineering and the Georgia Tech Research Institute. A former director of the Center for Multifunctional Aerospace Materials at the National Institute of Aerospace, she also has been very active in industry, both as chief technical officer at Cermetica LLC and as founder and CEO of Powder Technologies Inc.
An ACerS Fellow, Logan joined the Society in 1967, and has served in a number of leadership positions, including as president, president-elect, and vice president, and all offices in the Society’s Engineering Ceramics Division. She holds 19 patents, many related to SHS technology, and earned her B.S. and M.S. in ceramic engineering, as well as a Ph.D. in civil engineering, from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Arun Varshneya
Varshneya, president of Saxon Glass Technologies, retired as professor of glass
science and engineering at Alfred University after 28 years as a teacher and researcher.
Prior to AU, he worked for Ford Scientific Labs and GE Lighting Research Group. His
R&D career spans nearly five decades, and his work contributed greatly toward the
understanding of glass-to-metal seals, chalcogenide glasses, and glass chemical
strengthening.
An ACerS Fellow, Varshneya’s involvement with the Society dates back to the late ‘60s.
Having held all offices in the Northern Ohio section and several offices in ACerS Glass
and Optical Materials Division (GOMD), he also served as ACerS treasurer from 2008-
2010 and has continued to champion the Society’s mission, endowing the Darshana and
Arun Varshneya Frontiers of Glass Lectures, which are presented at the annual GOMD
meeting. Varshneya, who received his B.S. from Agra University (India), a bachelor’s
with honors from Sheffield University (UK), and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Case Western
Reserve University, is a 2007 recipient of the President’s Award from the International
Commission on Glass.
George Wicks
Regarded as a national and international expert in nuclear materials, Wicks recently retired after working 40 years at Savannah River National Laboratory, where he achieved the highest position in the technical ladder. As president of Wicks Consulting Services LLC, he provides independent consulting services, working with the Applied Research Center in South Carolina, and adjunct professor at Georgia Health Sciences University-Georgia Regents University. He previously taught at Clemson University, University of Florida, and Virginia Tech.
Since joining the Society in 1979, he has served as president and director, achieving Fellow status in 1986, and was instrumental in establishing the Materials Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy Conference. The holder of more than a dozen patents related to ceramics materials and processes, Wicks holds four degrees, which include a B.S. and M.S. from Florida State University, an M.S. from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. from MIT.
About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for ceramic and materials scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students. The Society serves more than 9,000 members from more than 70 countries.