1 7 ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | OCTOBER 2023 new digital volume is to be developed, the Affiliate Societies should have a major role to play and a representative of each should be included in the volume team. George Dieter was expansive in this thinking of materials selection and design in 1997. We now have the opportunity to take this to the next level. How can ASM and its members impact future generations to adopt a “unity of disciplines” mindset instead of a siloed approach? Jodoin: The unity of disciplines is already out there in the mentality of most of ASM members. I think that some extra links could be made by holding multidisciplinary conferences. Sometimes colleagues from other disciplines have the answer we are looking for and can educate us and bring us up to date quickly. Creating those connections is crucial. Karbhari: Some ideas include: 1) Conducting workshops and conferences focused on the interstices between the disciplines; 2) Developing curricula and course materials that enable students and practicing engineers from both disciplines to gain advanced knowledge; 3) Developing certificates/credentials taught and accredited through ASM after thorough design through a partnership between the end user (corporate company and employer), materials supplier, designer, and academia; 4) Developing modules taught by ASM practitioners that could be used as part of courses at the college and university level; 5) Enabling the publication of state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice documents on key topics at the interstices of materials and mechanical engineering; and 6) Focusing on Manufacturing 4.0, which cannot be successful without a deep understanding of materials and processing. Carpenter: One suggestion would be to start setting the stage for this in early STEM education. I know from presenting the engineering field to grade school students that they are open and receptive to these concepts and understand the basic principles and interactions. Todd: The grand challenges facing our current society—global warming; securing our food, water, and energy supplies; cyber security and infrastructure; mitigating international and space defense; and global health and welfare; among others—resonate with ASM’s future generations, who will be tasked with determining their solutions. Such solutions will require highly interdisciplinary approaches with breakthroughs occurring at many academic and professional interfaces—engineering, science, social science, agriculture, politics, business, law, medicine, and humanitarian causes, to name a few. All these challenges may involve materials solutions. ASM can broaden its focus through targeted outreach to non-traditional materials communities. Examples may include “the material brain” exploring the properties of brain as “soft matter;” “sustainability” – addressing the life cycle, degradability, and reuse/repurposing of materials; and “humanitarian causes”—where inexpensive materials solutions can benefit the health and welfare of increasing populations that are being displaced by global climate changes and warfare. As the “Materials Information Society,” ASM members and our future generations have an important role to play. ~AM&P ADDITIONAL RESOURCES A Tribute to George Dieter, Advanced Materials & Processes, Vol. 179, No. 2, p 40-41, Feb/Mar 2021. In Memoriam: George Dieter, Advanced Materials & Processes, Vol. 179, No. 2, p 46, Feb/Mar 2021. ASM Handbook, Volume 20, Materials Selection and Design, Ed. George E. Dieter, 1997. ASM courses could help fill the materials knowledge gap for mechanical engineers.
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