HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | SEPTEMBER 2023 60 was able to do some testing for them and then recommend a new source for their anodizing that offered a superior finish. I’m reminded of this to this day, every time I see one of the SUVs with those running boards. What attracted you to engineering? My father was a chemical engineer, and I was always a “science nerd” at home. I remember when I was about 13 or 14, I built a speaker from scratch using common household items. Going into engineering was pretty much a given. Best career advice, given or received: One of my mentors when I was first out of school, the late J.J. Vagi, gave me some very profound advice: “Always look out for your own career, because your employer won’t.” My best advice to those I currently mentor boils down to two things: 1) Accept the stretch assignment that will broaden your skill set and open new opportunities, and 2) don’t be afraid to leave a job where you’ve become complacent in order to challenge yourself. What are you working on now? My current assignment is working on the metallurgical aspects of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. This is a rather large rocket that will be capable of getting us to the moon. As a principal engineer, I get brought into a lot of technical discussions. It makes for a very interesting workday! Tell us about your involvement with ASM. Why are you a member? I first became involved in ASM when I was attending North Carolina State University. I very nervously presented some work at the local ASM chapter that I had done for a professor researching mechanical alloying of metals. That was my very first technical presentation, and I was grilled (in a friendly way) by some of the top professors and researchers on staff. I was hooked and have been a continuous member of ASM for almost 35 years! There has been considerable change in ASM since I first joined. Before the internet and email, the local chapter meetings were the only opportunity to mingle, develop new colleagues, and discuss technical topics. Attending those meetings was extremely beneficial to me personally, technically, and from a career standpoint. Today there are many venues, such as IMAT, where you can present your technical work for comments among some of the brightest minds in the business. Favorite motto or quote? Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead. Last book read? “The Lavender Scare” by David K. Johnson. Do you know someone who should be featured in an upcoming Face of Materials Engineering profile? Contact Vicki Burt at vicki.burt@asminternational.org. MEMBERS IN THE NEWS MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Acoff Becomes Dean Dr. Viola L. Acoff, will become the next dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Mississippi. She comes to Ole Miss from The University of Alabama, where she served as associate dean for undergraduate and graduate programs since 2014. She has served as a full professor since 2004. Acoff led the department of metallurgical and materials engineering from 2009 to 2014 and also led the department of chemical and biological engineering. She has published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and secured more than $13 million in externally funded grants. She has worked as a consultant for industry-leading corporations, in addition to her role on multiple boards and in more than two dozen professional service positions. Acoff was recognized as one of the Most Influential Black Corporate Directors by Savoy magazine and as one of the Most Influential Corporate Directors by WomenInc. Lu Named MME Chair Kathy Lu was named the inaugural chair of the department of mechanical and materials engineering (MME) at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. She was selected after a nationwide search for a chair that began when the department was formed in 2022 from the merger of the departments of mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering. Lu, who is currently a professor in the materials science and engineering department of Virginia Tech, took over as chair on August 15. She earned her bachelor’s degree in ceramics from Tianjin University and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in materials science and engineering from The Ohio State University. In 2021, she served as the Fulbright Distinguished Chair Visiting Professor in the department of physics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal papers, two books, and four book chapters. Aco Lu
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