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HIGHL IGHTS
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 | F E B R U A R Y
2 0 1 6
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EMERGING PROFESSIONALS
FROM THE FOUNDATION
Strategic Planning: Part I
David B. Spencer
Chairman of the Board, wTe Corp.
The VISION of the ASM Materials
Education Foundation is as follows:
A diverse workforce skilled in sci-
ence, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) through hands-on,
discovery-based learning.
In our previous Strategic Plans,
we sought to implement this vision by
putting Materials Camps in place. We are proud to have met
our goal of 50 Teachers Camps and 25 Student Camps two
years ahead of schedule. But that creates a new challenge:
What to do next?
Our MISSION is
“To excite young people in materials,
science, and engineering careers.”
Our Board of Trustees is
choosing to continue our camp programs and scholarships,
but we also believe a strong need exists within the materials
field for more—and better trained—technical workers. Fur-
ther, we want to help create a more diverse STEM commu-
nity by getting kids interested in science, engineering, and
materials at an earlier age. Finally, we believe that when
we develop exciting curricula, we should give it away—and
share it on a broad platform both in the U.S. and globally—
using the Internet as our pathway to potential learners.
The Foundation has implemented a system of power-
ful business committees, which will reach into the ASM com-
munity, engage members with a broader mission, draw on
past board members for leadership and counsel, and pull in
diverse outside resources as needed in the following areas:
1. STEM Curricula for K-6 students—exciting kids about
STEM in grade school
2. Middle School after-school programs—
Materials Matter
3. Underserved/Workforce Development & Community
College Programs
4. Broader Global Outreach sharing our development
programs through the Internet
a. Attracting new members
b. Reaching into the broader community both nation-
ally and internationally
We are proud of the accomplishments achieved
through the Materials Camp programs for teachers and stu-
dents and with our scholarships. These efforts will continue.
In addition, we are also excited about our new initiatives
aimed at giving back evenmore to educational efforts in our
community. We hope you will volunteer to help.
EMERGING
PROFESSIONALS
Transitioning from Technical
Contributor to Manager
Dharma Maddala,
Alcoa Technical Center
For many individuals, their initial
career is based on technical merit and
advancement depends on enhanc-
ing technical skills, expertise, and
capabilities. At some point, a career
in management appears, presenting
different challenges. This new role
is based on a skill set that involves
delegating, mentoring, coaching, sit-
uational awareness, monitoring behaviors, handling and
managing conflicts, andmany other tasks that are distinctly
different from dealing with technical issues as an individual
contributor.
Making the transition from technical contributor to
manager is challenging. In my case, the Emerging Leaders
Alliance (ELA) gave me an arsenal of tools and acquainted
me with “soft skills,” which are difficult to master but
important to focus on. I felt privileged to attend the ELA
conference in November 2015 via a sponsorship provided
by the TMS Foundation. It was a great learning opportunity
and very timely, as I recently moved into a managerial role.
Valuable aspects of the program included learning
how to acknowledge various social styles, engineering an
ideal team by building productive relationships, recogniz-
ing and managing conflict, and managing upward. The
ELA platform not only provides training to help prepare
future leaders to advance their organizations within com-
plex business and social environments, but also provides
a venue to network with individuals in other professional
organizations. For example, the “gummies” team exercise
emphasized the need for effective communication and
concise messaging, which will enhance my work skills as
well as future leadership roles within ASM and TMS. To
learn more about the ELA conference, visit
emerginglead- ersalliance.org.
VOLUNTEERISM
COMMITTEE
Profile of a Volunteer
Jacquelyn MacCoon, Product Specialist,
Hitachi High Technologies
Jacquelyn MacCoon’s day job is at Hitachi High Tech-
nologies, Ontario, Canada, where she works on application
engineering and sales of giant electron and transmission
Maddala
Spencer