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 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 2 4 6 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CORNER Lessons from the Sea: Steering Ahead Requires Leadership, Partnership and Progress As I’ve been thinking about the future of our organization, I’ve imagined journeys from the sea. The sea is likely on my mind as I’m returning from two weeks in Brittany, France, along the Atlantic Coast. Where the Atlantic meets the Pacific at the southernmost tip of Chile sits the revered Cape Horn, often described as the most feared and dangerous sea route in the world. The weather can be treacherous, maneuvering a vessel leaves little room for error, and as a result, the stakes are high. On the eve of IMAT, I’ve been reflecting on the next steps in our journey forward. Part of the journey involves translating the strategic plan outcomes from July’s board session into action. From the determination of four or five clear goals that the board and I agree on will come the development of operational plans, metrics, and staffing alignment to achieve them. I will navigate these waters in this fourth quarter of the year, culminating in the numbers and operating plan for the 2023 ASM budget, which will be voted on in January 2023. At IMAT, I’ll be meeting with the board and our past presidents, and sharing our progress at the ASM Annual Society Meeting. Additionally, I’m looking forward to talking with many of you at our Awards Banquet, Fellows Inauguration Ceremony, and other social gatherings. These meetings and conversations are such an important input into deepening my understanding of your perspectives about the value of the organization to you and to your career. There will be some challenging decisions to be made as we continue to chart the unknown waters ahead. With the need to strengthen revenue generation from existing products, and to consider the partnerships, acquisitions, and internal developments that will yield new revenue streams, I am committed to this journey. In partnership with the board and our staff executive team, we have the right people in the right places to affect the changes in culture and structure that will result in a vibrant organization- al future. I look forward to seeing you at IMAT, and wish you safe and uneventful travels to New Orleans. Sandy Robert, CAE Executive Director, ASM International sandy.robert@asminternational.org ASM Sustainable Materials Engineering Committee A group of ASM members is working to develop a new technical committee focused on sustainability. John Wolodko, FASM, University of Alberta, proposed the committee to respond to the growing global interest in the area of sustainability driven by changes in government policy, consumer demand, and corporations rethinking their strategic direction. The materials sector will play a critical role over the next decade in providing materials solutions to reduce a variety of environmental and socioeconomic impacts including the reduction of carbon emissions, improvement of renewable energy platforms for electricity generation, storage, and transportation (e.g., electric vehicles), and reduction of materials waste (improved recycling/reuse/biodegradability). Based on early discussions among the participants, the initial focus topics are expected to be materials selection and design for sustainability and sustainable materials processing. The potential committee outputs will be professional education resources, conference programming, and publications. The group is seeking candidates for additional members. Interested members can apply via ASM Connect or contact jwolodko@ualberta.ca or scott.henry@ asminternational.org for more information. Dr. Ji-Cheng Zhao Named 2023 Recipient of the J. Willard Gibbs Phase Equilibria Award ASM is pleased to announce that Dr. Ji-Cheng (JC) Zhao, FASM, Minta Martin Professor and department chair, department of materials science and engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, is the 2023 J. Willard Gibbs Phase Equilibria Award recipient. His citation reads: “For developing highly efficient methods that employ combinatorial principles, and successfully applying them to the determination of phase diagrams, diffusion coefficients, and physical properties in alloy systems.” The Gibbs Award was established in 2007 to recognize outstanding contributions to the field of phase equilibria. The award honors J. Willard Gibbs, one of America’s greatest theoretical scientists. Originally proposed by the ASM Alloy Phase Diagram Committee, the award supports ASM’s EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CORNER Robert Wolodko Zhao
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