HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MAY 2026 48 AFFILIATE SOCIETY NEWS International Metallographic Contest at IMAT Deadline August 28 The International Metallographic Contest (IMC), an annual contest cosponsored by the International Metallographic Society (IMS) and ASM International to advance the science of microstructural analysis, will be held at IMAT 2026 in Quebec City, Canada, September 28-October 1. There are five different classes of competition in the IMC, covering all fields of optical and electron microscopy: Class 1: Light Microscopy—All Materials Class 2: Electron Microscopy—All Materials Class 3: Student Entries—All Materials (Undergraduate Students Only) Class 4: Artistic Microscopy (Color)—All Materials Class 5: Artistic Microscopy (Black & White)— All Materials Best-In-Show receives the most prestigious award available in the field of metallography, the Jacquet-Lucas Award, which includes a cash prize of $2000. For a complete description of the rules, tips for creating a winning entry, and judging guidelines, visit asminternational.org/ims/ membership/imc. Thermal Spray Society Announces Hall of Fame Recipient: Hanlin Liao Hanlin Liao, Ph.D., has been selected to become the newest member of the 2026 Thermal Spray Hall of Fame by the ASM Thermal Spray Society Board of Directors. Liao is professor emeritus and an internationally recognized leader in materials science whose four-decade career has helped shape modern surface engineering. Since beginning his academic journey in China in 1982 and earning his Ph.D. from UTBM in 1994, he has made pioneering contri- butions to thermal spray technologies and additive manufacturing. As head of the thermal spray division at ICB-PMDM (CNRS), he built one of Europe’s leading research centers, advancing innovations in energy, biomedical, and industrial materials. Liao has collaborated extensively with global industry leaders such as Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Renault, and Saint-Gobain, bridging research and application across Europe and Asia. With over 500 scientific publications, multiple patents, and more than 200 inter- national presentations, he is also a dedicated educator who has supervised over 40 Ph.D. students and trained countless researchers, making a lasting impact on the global materials science community. Award Citation: For building bridges between research and industry, as well as between Europe and Asia, in the field of cold spray and thermal spray coatings. Seeking Nominations for Thermal Spray Hall of Fame The Thermal Spray Hall of Fame, established in 1993 by the Thermal Spray Society of ASM International, recognizes and honors outstanding leaders who have made significant contributions to the science, technology, practice, education, management, and advancement of thermal spray. For a copy of the rules, nomination link request, and list of previous recipients, visit tss.asminternational.org or contact maryanne.jerson@asminternational.org. Nominations are due September 30, 2026, to be awarded in 2027. Seeking TSS President’s Award for Meritorious Service The TSS President’s Award for Meritorious Service recognizes exceptional service to the Society and thermal spray community. Nominees should be TSS members with at least 10 years of service. For a copy of the rules, nomination form, and list of previous recipients, visit tss. asminternational.org. Nominations are due September 30. Liao Virtual Student Contest on Shape Memory Materials SMST Membership Committee invited students to share their groundbreaking research or innovative ideas on the use of shape memory materials. The contest theme aligned with the 2025 Workshop on MedTech for Design and Manufacturing with Nitinol and encompassed all areas of shape memory materials, with a special emphasis on medical applications. Congratulations to the winner: Abdelrahman Elsayed, Texas A&M, for his entry titled “Shape Memory Interlocking Metasurfaces: A Framework for Adaptive and Reconfigurable Joining.” His work highlighted innovative approaches to adaptive joining systems using shape memory materials. Elsayed is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Materials Science at Texas A&M University working under Dr. Ibrahim Karaman. SMST is proud to recognize Elsayed’s achievement and the high caliber of work submitted by all participants. Elsayed
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