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 | M A R C H 2 0 2 3 6 2 FROM THE FOUNDATION Guiding Students to Materials The goal of the ASM Materials Education Foundation (MEF) is to interest students in pursuing STEM fields generally, but also the field of materials science and engineering. While we have great programs to expose students to the concepts and career options, I am proposing that we build a stronger pipeline to bring students in contact with the university programs and industry that awaits them. Our ASM Materials Camps for teachers do an excellent job of providing content to teachers who then share it with their students. Through those teachers, their students gain an understanding of the field and career directions that exist within the field. As of now, students must then take their own initiative to learn more about university MSE programs and local industries. The Foundation staff and board are working on several different avenues to better make those connections with, and for, students. As students show promise and excitement in learning about materials, we will provide teachers, students, and their parents with additional opportunities to learn more about how to enter the field, whether through a university or other pathway. Using ASM Materials Camps for students, other programming, and direct outreach, we aim to deliver more information into the hands of students and their parents that they can use to make decisions about their futures. The ASM MEF board is entering strategic planning this year and will study the best way(s) to accomplish this goal. If you have ideas or thoughts on this, please share them with me or ASM MEF executive director Carrie Wilson at carrie. wilson@asminternational.org or 440.671.3828. This is one of the topics we will discuss during our strategic planning process this year. We look forward to revising and taking on our strategic goals for the next few years, including better and timelier outreach to the students as they make their career choices. Capturing their interest in our field is our best way to engage and cultivate the next generation of leaders in the materials field. John “Chip” Keough, FASM Chair, ASM Materials Education Foundation THE FACE OF MATERIALS ENGINEERING This profile series features members from around the world at all stages in their careers. Here we speak with Victoria Reichelderfer, materials and process engineer at Kaman Air Vehicles, Bloomfield, Conn. What part of your job do you like most? The thing I love most about my job is getting to work with a wide variety of people to figure out how to go from blueprint to finished part. Collaborating with colleagues never gets old to me, and it excites me to hear about other people’s ideas and approaches to problem solving. It allows me to learn new things all the time, so I never get bored. What is your engineering background? I attended the University of Connecticut where I earned my bachelor’s in materials science and engineering, and then the University of Colorado Boulder where I earned my master’s in materials science and engineering. I now hold my first industry position as a materials and process engineer at Kaman Air Vehicles. What attracted you to engineering? I’ve always enjoyed math and science, and I knew I wanted to be a materials engineer when I met the people fromtheUConnMaterials Science and Engineering program. I connected with them and knew that I’d be motivated and fulfilled when I was surrounded by such fun and like-minded people. As I’ve moved on to other places with other people, I continue to find that I have a great time working together and solving problems with fellow engineers. Best career advice, given or received: Focus on what you want in the present. I’ve heard this from multiple people. This is easier said than done when you’re a goal-oriented person, but I think leaning into the things that excite you here and now is the best way to have a career that truly fulfills you in a deeper way than merely looking good on paper. Did you ever consider doing something else with your life besides engineering? I considered majoring in music, and though my path led me somewhere else, music remains really important to me. It’s always in the background when I’m solving problems and it lets me express a different side of myself than the more analytical side that takes the forefront when I’m working on a technical task. It adds balance. Favorite motto or quote? A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. FROM THE FOUNDATION Keough Reichelderfer
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