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HIGHLIGHTS... Profile of a Volunteer
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES • JUNE 2014 58
VOLUNTEERISM COMMITTEE
Profile of a Volunteer
Bob Gaster
Sr. Staff Engineer
John Deere Moline Technology
Innovation Center
Career choices often seem to happen by
chance, but Bob Gaster sees a design to
his. It began in his 1969 high school
physics class when the teacher invited seniors to visit Iowa
State University’s metallurgy department. While other stu-
dents laughed at the idea, Gaster raised his hand. That deci-
sion led to a bachelor’s degree in metallurgy and a successful
40-year career with John Deere.
Active in ASM since 1973, his primary expertise is in
heat treat technology. He served in leadership roles with
the Quad Cities chapter, is a founding member of the ASM
Heat Treating Society, and served as member and chair of
the national Volunteerism Committee. “I’m a firm believer
in serving others,” says Gaster. “I try to use the skills I’ve
been blessed with—to have an impact at John Deere and in
the heat treating industry.” He is also committed to reach-
ing students as he co-leads the local chapter’s ASM Mate-
rials Camp and volunteers with Project Lead the Way and
at a Saturday Science middle school program—all STEM
pre-collegiate programs.
Gaster worked at the John Deere factory level for 19 years
before transferring to the corporate technology center. He
credits his volunteer service with ASM for helping develop
his career, particularly his work with the R&D committee,
which strengthened his understanding of research. That role
led to publication of the ASM Heat Treating Society’s 1999
R&D Plan and recognition by the U.S. Department of Energy
for “Turning Industry Vision into Reality.”
Most of all, Gaster treasures his relationships with ASM
and industry colleagues. “I have immediate access to experts
because of the extensive network I’ve been privileged to de-
velop by volunteering,” he reflects. “It’s really multiplied
when you serve at the national level. Volunteering at ASM
offers opportunities to impact the materials industry while
enabling both personal and professional growth!”
Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A: Physical Met-
allurgy and Materials Science is pleased to announce that
the two part paper “Precipitation of Nb in Ferrite after
Austenite Conditioning Part I: Mi-
crostructural Characterization,” by A.
Iza-Mendia, M.A. Altuna, B. Pereda,
and I. Gutierrez, MetTrans A, Vol. 43,
(2012), 4553-4570 and “Part II:
Strengthening Contribution in High-
Strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) Steels,”
by M.A. Altuna, A. Iza-Mendia, and
I. Gutierrez, MetTrans A, Vol. 43,
(2012), 4571-4586 won the 2014
Charles Hatchett Award. The
award will be presented at the In-
stitute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) 2014 Pre-
mier Awards Dinner on July 15 in London.
The Charles Hatchett Award is presented for work related
to niobium. The prize includes a minted medal of pure nio-
bium and funding to go to Companhia de Metalurgia e Min-
eração–CBMM in Brazil, the world’s largest niobium
producer. CBMM initiated and has sponsored the Charles
Hatchett Award since 1979 in association with IOM3.
The winning paper was selected from a collection of jour-
nal and proceedings papers over a two-year period and cho-
sen by an international panel of renowned metallurgists.
ASM members receive free online access to the entire suite
of Metallurgical and Materials Transactions Journals including
MetTrans A. Log in to , click on My Sub-
scriptions, and select Metallurgical &Materials Transactions A.
ASM Handbooks Online—New Steel Heat Treating Volume!
The most recent release of ASM Handbooks Online includes the new publication, ASM Handbook, Volume 4A, Steel Heat
Treating Fundamentals and Processes. The first of several new volumes on heat treating, Volume 4A introduces the basics of
steel heat treating and provides in-depth coverage of many steel heat treating processes.
MetTrans A Paper Wins the 2014 Charles Hatchett Award
Volume 4A topics include:
• Physical metallurgy of steel heat treatment
• Fundamentals of steel hardness and hardenability
• Practical aspects of hardenability as a key criterion in the selection of steel
• Fundamentals and practical aspects of steel quenching
• Expanded coverage on quenching processes
• Updates and expansion on annealing, tempering, austempering, and martempering
• New articles on cleaning, subcritical annealing, austenitizing, and quench partitioning of steel
heat treatment
• Significant expansion on the fundamental and applied aspects of surface hardening by applied
energy, carburizing, carbonitriding, and diffusion coatings
• Editors and authors have also added charts, examples, and practical reference data for
application purposes to the 50 articles included in this volume.
Updated quarterly, ASM
Handbooks Online
features additional
information not found in the
books, including new articles and
updates to existing articles.
Online subscribers benefit from
instant access to this new
information at no additional
charge. Visit asminternational.
org, select Materials Resources
and ASM Handbooks Online.