April AMP_Digital

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 | A P R I L 2 0 1 9 6 2 SMST FOUNDERS’ GRANT FROM THE FOUNDATION Duerig Endows SMST Founders’ Grant One of the pioneers in the field of shape memory alloys and a founder of The International Organization on Shape Memory and Superelastic Tech- nologies (SMST) is now giving back to help the next generation of research- ers advance the industry. Thomas W. (Tom) Duerig donated $1 million to the ASM Materials Education Founda- tion to endow the new SMST Founders’ Grant to support young researchers. The intent of the grant is to provide funding for early, exploratory research related to shape memory and super- elasticity. It is expected that the funds will be used as a seed grant to test a concept and lay the foundation for obtaining further funding from industry or government agencies. Over 25 applicants vied for the 2019 grant, which comes with a $50,000 stipend. The 2019 winner will be announced at the SMST event in Konstanz, Germany, during the plenary ses- sion on May 15. Duerig explains how he got started in this innovative industry after receiving his B.S. in physics from Lehigh Uni- versity and his Ph.D. inmaterials science fromCarnegie-Mel- lon University. “My interests in this field began in 1980 after accidentally discovering a shape memory effect in beta tita- nium alloys while working at Brown Boveri in Switzerland. While not terribly practical as a shape memory alloy, this spurred me on to look at the beta bronzes and Nitinol.” In 1983, after relocating to the Silicon Valley, Duerig continued researching shape memory alloys with Raychem Corp. until 1991 when he founded Nitinol Development Corp., (NDC) with a focus on findingmedical applications for Nitinol. After NDC was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1997, he continuedas president until 2007. Wanting to return to his roots in materials science, he then led a management buyout of assets related to raw material production and sales. The new company, Confluent Medical Technologies, has since expanded into a broad range of medical device manufacturing technologies and now employs over 1200 people. While Duerig has retired from the day-to-day lead- ership of the company, he remains active both as a board member and scientist. In 1992, Duerig, along with Alan Pelton and Darel Hodgson, founded SMST to disseminate technical informa- tion and provide education on these unique materials, as well as to promote their use in new applications. It was 2008 when Duerig said, “I would like to see SMST go beyond being a simple teaching and information sharing organization, and do more to promote innovative research and development both at universities and industry.” Now the Founders’ Grant brings his dream to fruition. This indus- try pioneer, founder, and philanthropist has discovered a way to help shape the future of research in the field he loves. For that, Duerig’s impact will forever remain in the collective memory of the SMST community. Duerig Kappagantula WOMEN IN ENGINEERING This profile series introduces lead- ing materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Here we speak with Keerti S. Kappagantula , mechanical engineer at Pacific North- west National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Wash. What is your engineering background? While I am trained as a mechanical engineer, my work has been predominantly in materials development. I have worked to leverage the unique properties of nanomaterials to develop high-performance metal, ceramic, and polymer systems. What part of your job do you like most? PNNL’s Energy Processes and Materials Division, espe- cially the Applied Materials and Manufacturing Group where I work, interacts extensively with industry to develop prod- uct and process solutions that are regularly translated into market-scale technology. For me, that is very exciting—to see lab-scale inventions mushroom into widespread use. My favorite part of each day is interacting with—and constantly learning from—my colleagues at PNNL, who are focused on delivering groundbreaking technological advances. It is exhilarating to work in an environment with such positive energy. What attracted you to engineering? I was, and continue to be, fascinated by engineering’s ability to effectively transform science into technology. Did you ever consider doing something else with your life besides engineering? In high school, I wanted to become a writer. But after I understood the beauty of calculus, my focus became engineering. Now, a major part of my job as a scientist is research communications. So I get to be a writer after all. What are you working on now? I am a part of a PNNL research group that is develop- ing a disruptivemetals manufacturing approach called solid phase processing (SPP). We focus on realizing a wide range of high-performance alloys, semi-finished products, and