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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J U N E 2 0 1 5
ASM International
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Tel: 440.338.5151 • Fax: 440.338.4634
Frances Richards, Editor-in-Chief
Julie Lucko, Editor
Jim Pallotta, Creative Director
Kate Fornadel, Layout and Design
Annie Beck, Production Manager
Press Release Editor
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Yu-Ping Yang, Chair, EWI
Jaimie Tiley, Vice Chair, U.S. Air Force
Research Lab
Mario Epler, Past Chair, Carpenter
Technology Corp.
Craig Clauser, Board Liaison
Kathryn Dannemann, Board Liaison
Laura Addessio, PCC Structurals Inc.
Arvind Agarwal, Florida International
University
Gerald Bruck, Siemens Westinghouse
Power Corp.
Steven Claves, Alcoa Inc.
Adam Farrow, Los Alamos National Lab
Nia Harrison, Ford Motor Co.
Alan Luo, The Ohio State University
Roger Narayan, UNC-NCSU
Somuri Prasad, Sandia National Lab
Fei Ren, Temple University
Kumar Sridharan, University of Wisconsin
ASMBOARDOF TRUSTEES
Sunniva R. Collins, President
Jon D. Tirpak, Vice President
Craig D. Clauser, Treasurer
C. Ravi Ravindran, Immediate Past President
Iver Anderson
Kathryn Dannemann
Mitchell Dorfman
James C. Foley
Jacqueline M. Earle
John R. Keough
Zi-Kui Liu
Tirumalai S. Sudarshan
David B. Williams
Terry F. Mosier, Secretary and
InterimManaging Director
STUDENT BOARDMEMBERS
Virginia K. Judge, Anthony Lombardi,
Myrissa N. Maxfield
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sonal or archival use, or may freely make such copies in such
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acknowledgment of the authors and source is made.
A s I write this column, it turns out that today—May
20—is World Metrology Day and 2015’s theme is
Measurements and Light. This year is the “Interna-
tional Year of Light and Light-based Technologies,” desig-
nated by the United Nations to honor innovations that are
expected to become enabling technologies for the future.
World Metrology Day celebrates the signatures of repre-
sentatives from 17 nations at The Meter Convention held
May 20, 1875, laying the groundwork for global collaboration in measurement
science. For some reason, I find this very inspiring. If any of you are working on
light-based technologies, we’d like to hear about your research.
Likewise, other inspiring concepts seem to spring from attending a vari-
ety of lectures, conferences, and networking events. One impressive talk I heard
recently was the commencement speech at my daughter’s graduation from
Ohio University a few weeks ago. Keith Wandell, president and CEO of Harley-
Davidson, discussed several aspects of his life and career, beginning with grad-
uating from college and wondering, “Now what?” The most memorable part of
his talk focused on perseverance. He became CEO just as the worldwide econ-
omy had tanked and motorcycle sales were plummeting. He shared the motto
his team lived by during those dark times, “The other side of fear is courage.” His
group adopted this idea as a mantra, making it possible to go to work and keep
trying new ideas, which were eventually successful. Wandell also advised, “It’s
critical to have a sense of humor. If you don’t have one, get one. You’re going to
need it.”
Looking back on ASM’s triple trade show (AeroMat, ITSC, IMS) held recently
in California, several inspiring moments occurred. The venue featured excellent
plenary speakers, interesting technical sessions, and fun networking events.
One of the most inspiring talks was John Grotzinger’s lecture about NASA’s
$2.5 billion Curiosity Rover Mission to Mars. He started his speech by thanking
the audience for the materials developments that make space missions possi-
ble. He then shared a dramatic video of the “sevenminutes of terror” involved in
landing Curiosity. Viewing the video helped reinforce his point about zero toler-
ance for error in the landing sequence. He emphasized, “Planning is everything,
but plans are useless.” By this he meant that rapid scientific advances were en-
abled by being flexible and he stressed the importance of extensive testing.
In closing, Grotzinger offered a twist on the usual advice about setbacks,
“If at first you fail, don’t try again. Work to understand the root cause of failure,
then try again.” His team of more than 500 scientists and engineers was tasked
with discovering if problems stemmed from design flaws or manufacturing
issues. Once the root cause was found, progress could resume. One problem
that wasn’t discovered until touchdown involves Curiosity’s wheels: They are
too thin to withstand the surprisingly hazardous terrain. Made of aluminum to
save weight, the wheels were quickly being destroyed by rolling over pointy
rocks. The solution is having the rover take a longer and smoother path as it
heads toward Mount Sharp, and to drive backwards instead of forward.
Next up were three intriguing plenary presentations on the following day
covering aerospace materials trends, thermal barrier coatings, and 3D micro-
structure characterization. Along with with the Expo Hall and a festive evening
aboard the Queen Mary, the overall event was truly inspiring. If you were there,
we’d like to hear your feedback.
SEEKING INSPIRATION