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ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES •
OCTOBER 2014
43
HIGHLIGHTS...
Emerging Professionals
ASM
news
Members
in the News
Leadership Trio
ASM President Ravi
Ravindran
met with TMS
President
Hani Henein
and Iron and Steel Society
Past
President
Alex
McLean
over dinner to
discuss the future of mate-
rials science and engineer-
ing on June 13 in Hamilton, Ontario, at Capri Ristorante.
Applied Process Takes on Majority Interest Partner
Effective August 13, Applied Process
Inc. (AP) of Livonia, Mich., announced
that it has taken on a majority interest eq-
uity partner, High Street Capital of
Chicago. High Street is a private equity
firmwith a track record of partnering with,
and growing, successful companies since
1997. The firm is investing in AP as they
believe in its management, people, and business.
John R.
(Chip) Keough,
AP’s founder, stated, “My family and I will
maintain a significant capital interest in the business. I will
continue as a director and will be, as always, actively engaged
in the growth of the business and the profitable conversion
of components from one material/process combination to a
better, faster, cheaper one.”
Kumar Sridharan, FASM,
Distinguished
Research Professor in the Department of En-
gineering Physics andMaterials Science and
Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-
Madisonwas nominated by the U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy to represent the U.S. at an
International Atomic Energy Agency confer-
ence held in Vienna, Austria, in June. At this
meeting, delegates from seven member states discussed issues
pertaining to implementation of high temperaturematerials for
next-generation high temperature nuclear reactors.
CWRU Wins Grant to
Improve Lifetime Performance of Ceramic Fuel Cells
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
received an $800,000 Department of Energy grant to study
how to make solid oxide fuel cells last longer.
Mark
DeGuire,
associate professor and project director, and
Arthur Heuer,
Distinguished University Professor and Ky-
ocera Professor of Ceramics, will test small lab-scale fuel
cells. The research will compare the performance of cells that
have undergone accelerated aging to those that have per-
formed up to 500 hours of use under normal conditions.
Marra Receives Rankin Award
Dr. James Marra, FASM,
an investigator with the DOE’s
Office of Environmental Management’s
Savannah River National Laboratory,
Aiken, S.C., was named the 2014 recipient
of the D.T. Rankin Award for exemplary
service to the Nuclear and Environmental
Technology Division of the American Ce-
ramic Society (ACerS). He received the
award for his leadership within the divi-
sion, professionalism, and participation in technical activi-
ties and innovation. He will be presented the award at the
ACerS annual meeting in Pittsburgh in October.
Sai Prasanth Venkateswaran,
BP
A
sk a recently graduated materials sci-
ence student, “What industry would
you like to pursue?” Typical answers include silicon, mag-
netic, nano, fuel cells, and graphene. My answer was a little
different—oil and gas—puzzling some of my friends who
asked, “Why the traditional industry?” The energy industry,
where I can learn scalability and complexity, was my interest,
and the oil and gas industry fit in very well.
Every oil and gas development, pipeline, and refinery
touches upon a multitude of challenging material require-
ments and environments. High temperatures, reactive fluids,
and mechanical stresses all conspire to alter material behavior,
and with it, performance. As a materials engineer, one is usu-
ally fighting against thermodynamics to ensure the material
lasts for several decades of facility service or well life, without
premature failures and in a cost-effective manner.
As a materials engineer, one is often involved in all aspects
of project development, from wellbore to subsea to surface
to pipeline. I am called upon to make and support technical
and business decisions based on an understanding of risk.
In addition, materials selection decisions necessitate a deep
know-how of materials properties and a fundamental under-
standing of materials performance under different corrosive
and challenging environments.
When defining and selecting materials, one must en-
gage in developing material technologies to withstand the
next frontier of harsh environments. We always strive to
study and understand complex interactions of materials
and environments on the atomic and nanoscale, and ulti-
mately make better, more resilient materials for energy
technology.
The convergence of forces, threats, and technology is creat-
ing a perfect environment for the next generation of young tal-
ent to exploit limitless opportunities in the oil and gas sector.
What Oil & Gas Offers for Emerging Materials Professionals
ASM Chapter Honor Roll
The Volunteerism Committee is proud to announce an addi-
tion to the ASM Chapter Honor Roll. The
India Chapter
se-
lected
Prem Kumar Aurora
as their nominee. Aurora has been
an instrumental member in the Chapter for many years. His ded-
icated service and many contributions to the Chapter and ASM
Community are to be commended.