January_AMP_Digital

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 A N U A R Y 2 0 1 8 3 2 EDUCATION AND TRAINING Fred earned his Ph.D. in materi- als science and engineering from Drexel University nearly 25 years after receiv- ing his master’s degree, which gives you an idea of his grit, hard work, and forti- tude. He has also either taken or taught over 20 ASM education courses to broaden himself and learn more about the exciting world of materials. He has always had a continuous desire to im- prove. These are the pillars of Mur Doc’s work attitude and he will take the same approach while leading ASM as our new president. ASM is family to Mur Doc and he will not only give back, but also en- courage everyone to improve—from the CEO to the janitor. Fred’s career at DuPont/Reming- ton Arms provided unlimited progres- sion from research to problem solving issues, which positively impacted the company’s production and profitability. Fred became the “hands on, go-to guy” to solve problems in polymer process- ing, electronics, and ordnance innova- tions, which led to his present expertise in failure analysis that is sought af- ter worldwide. In his 24 years at Rem- ington Arms, Fred developed product and process technologies for firearms and ammunition components. As chief metallurgist, he was responsible for development programs ranging from product design to prototype, volume manufacturing, and final product per- formance and abuse testing. Like many DuPont employees, Fred got caught up in a severe down- sizing and worked for a short time at Packer Engineering before beginning a 17-year new career with Engineering Systems Inc. Fred honed his previous expertise to become technical director and then director of materials technol- ogy. Fred theoretically retired two years ago, but now has his own consulting company, Advanced Applied Services. He almost went into music as a profession, joining a 30-piece Glenn Miller Orchestra-type band as a ju- nior in high school and later starting his own band, The Orbitals. He likes to sing and might have made it big on the music scene. Fortunately for the materials community, Fred discovered blacksmithing and never looked back. Metallurgy was to be the direction in life he would pursue. A true patriot, Fred served in the U.S. Army as a Captain. His other talents include being a wine aficionado: If you go to dinner with him, have him assist with the wine pairings! VISION Fred has been a problem solver as a failure analysis consultant for the past two decades, testifying in city, fed- eral, and court martial matters nation- ally. He believes that often, the reason people don’t solve problems is because they are not recognizing and defining the problem correctly. The first step in correctly identifying the problem is ac- tive listening. That is what ASM has been doing for the past year—listening and identifying problems—conducting failure analysis regarding ASM. Key vol- unteers and staff members have espe- cially been listening to young members and potential members, because many of the leaders from Fred’s generation will not be around much longer. Fred’s vision for ASM in the coming year has three major themes: Volunteerism: Fred believes we need to double the number of active volunteers within our Society. This is Job One. Many of our volunteers are approaching retirement age and will leave active volunteerism in the next five years. To replace them, ASM needs to analyze what young members want out of volunteering and then help them achieve it, including leadership oppor- tunities, professional connections, or whatever it takes to engage them and have them engage others. Teamwork: The secret to solving the Mission Impossible task is team- work. ASM is a Society that achieves things together that cannot be achieved alone. We need each other. The way to build successful teams is for leaders to share leadership and make everyone feel good about the outcome because their contribution was so important. ASM Renewal: There is overlap, because the ASM Renewal depends on volunteerism and teamwork. But it also heavily depends on ASM staff. Our board of trustees must be close- ly engaged with our staff in a positive leadership role to ensure that our staff executes and puts ASM and our mis- sion first. What ASM needs more than anything right now is teamwork. Fred sees himself as the Chief Encourager and Cheerleader. ASM will support new materials technology, product design, and process optimization tools through its digital transformation efforts, which will improve the quality of life and safe- ty of citizens worldwide. ASMwill renew its role as the leading materials infor- mation society in the world. We are fortunate to have a presi- dent with fire in his belly to lead us in these challenging times. I know of no one else more apt to succeed if we help him to achieve his vision. ~AM&P Sherlock Schmidt is an expert in failure analysis and problem solving. Mur Doc considered becoming a profes- sional musician, but chose a career in metallurgy instead.