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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 | J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 1 9 6 2 Totten CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT Contributor Spotlight George E. Totten, Ph.D., FASM G.E. Totten & Associates LLC George Totten is an internation- ally recognized expert on quenching of steel and aluminum, fire resistant hydraulic fluids, and synthesis of orga- nofunctional monomers and polymers. He has made extensive contributions to the global spread of knowledge of heat treatment process development, especially in the field of quenching, the understanding of process chemistry, and the widespread use of modeling and simulation. Dr. Totten is president of G.E. Totten & Associates LLC, a research and consulting firm specializing in thermal pro- cessing and industrial lubrication problems. He is an ASM Fellow, member of the ASM Puget Sound Chapter, and founding member of the ASM Heat Treating Society. Among Totten’s notable awards are the ASMEisenman Award (2017) and ASM/HTS George H. Bodeen Heat Treating Achievement Award (2007). A longtime contributor to ASM publications, he is vol- ume co-editor of ASM Handbooks , Volume 4A: Steel Heat Treating Fundamentals and Processes, Volume 4B: Steel Heat Treating Technologies, and Volume 4D: Heat Treating of Irons and Steels (with Jon L. Dossett); Volume 4C: Induction Heat- ing and Heat Treatment (with Valery Rudnev); and Volume 4E: Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Metals (with D. Scott Mac- Kenzie). Most recently, he served as volume editor of the 2017 revision of ASM Handbook, Volume 18: Friction, Lubri- cation, and Wear Technology. He is currently working on a new edition of the classic 1992 ASM book Handbook of Quenchants and Quenching Technology. View the table of contents and abstracts for all the ASM Handbook volumes in ASM Handbooks Online at dl. asminternational.org/handbooks. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer author or editor for ASM Handbooks, contact handbooks@asminternational.org . WOMEN IN ENGINEERING This profile series introduces lead- ing materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Here we speak with Brenda L. Garcia-Diaz , manager, energy materials, at Savan- nah River National Laboratory (SRNL). What is your engineering background? I studied chemical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez. I did a co-op at Pharmacia Upjohn and a Research Experience for Under- graduates at the University of South Carolina (USC). My interest in environmental engineering led me to pursue a masters in that area and to work with the Army Corps of Engineers on electrochemical groundwater remediation. That experience in turn sparked an interest in electrochem- ical systems, which led to my Ph.D. in direct methanol fuel cells at USC. What are you working on now? I am the principal investigator (PI) on a Department of Energy (DOE) SunShot project to develop molten salt corro- sion mitigation methods for third generation concentrating solar power systems. Another project that I serve as PI on is the development of a direct LiT electrolysis process for tri- tium recovery in fusion energy systems for the DOE Fusion Energy Program. What has been your biggest technical challenge? I think it was developing and testing the electrochemi- cal fluorination process for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, as high temperature molten salt electrochemistry was unfa- miliar to me. I needed to learn about the field by reading a large number of papers to understand the work that had been done and propose improvements that are novel. I also needed to build a new teamwith expertise in different fields to implement the process. Our team was able to propose and patent a hybrid approach that combined the benefits of the two main pro- cesses in the literature. While this project was challenging, it developed a new area of expertise within SRNL and led to a variety of other projects utilizing molten salts. What part of your job do you like most? My favorite part of the job is managing a team and research group. In a national lab environment, it is impos- sible to do everything yourself on cutting-edge projects. It is also difficult to create and maintain teams that are highly functional. I find it personally rewarding when we get every- one on the same page and meet milestones and delivera- bles in the development of novel technologies. Hobbies? Spending time with friends, exercising, and cooking. Last book read? “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. Do you know someone who should be featured in an upcoming Women in Engineering profile? Contact Vicki Burt at vicki.burt@asminternational.org . Garcia-Diaz