HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MARCH 2024 52 THE FACE OF ENGINEERING Student Materials Camp This popular program utilizes hands-on learning principles of applied math, physics, and chemistry led by a distinguished world-class faculty. The program is aimed at stirring students’ interest in science and getting them excited about materials engineering careers, as they learn to be team players and become “science detectives” at the camp. asmfoundation.org. Teacher Materials Camp This weeklong program for middle school and high school teachers demonstrates how to use low/no cost simple labs and experiments with everyday materials that can be integrated into existing math/science lesson plans. These simple activities and experiments are proven to actively engage students in learning more about applied science. asmfoundation.org. Kishor M. Kulkarni Distinguished High School Teacher Award This award honors the accomplishments of one high school science teacher who has demonstrated a significant and sustained impact on pre-college age students. Award: $2000 cash grant plus the recipient’s travel cost of up to $500 to receive the award at the ASM Awards Luncheon. Application deadline June 30. “Living in a Material World”—$500 Teacher Grants Provides support for K-12 teachers to develop and implement science teaching activities. Award: 20 grants of $500 each. Deadline: March 31. To learn more about any of these programs, visit asmfoundation.org. THE FACE OF MATERIALS ENGINEERING This profile series features members from around the world at all stages in their careers. Here we speak with Janet Meier, postdoctoral research associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee. What part of your job do you like most? I have two favorite parts of my job. The first is working with people to do collaborative science. The best science is done when you bring a wide range of expertise together to ask and answer questions from different points of view. It’s how you really learn to think. The other is understanding how tiny microstructural mechanisms change the properties of materials. Finding the thread that connects the properties we need to what is happening all the way down to the atomic scale is so much fun and makes me think about things over a wide range of levels. What is your greatest professional achievement? Recently, I competed in the first ever National Lab Research SLAM on Capitol Hill. The event brought together 17 early career researchers from all the DOE national labs to present their research in a three-minute lightning talk. I am very proud to say I won my category, Energy Security, with my talk about developing aluminum alloys as an alternative to copper alloys for electric vehicles. I have anxiety, so being on stage representing ORNL was terrifying, but I was successful. The experience highlighted for me the importance of science communication and the value of collaboration with other researchers. Despite it being a competition, all the finalists were also there to support each other. My talk, and all our talks, had input from the other finalists and our wider communities. What attracted you to engineering? I like problem solving and digging into why materials behave the way they do. Materials science and engineering is this fantastic blend of basic science and practical application. We have to understand the world and materials from the scale of atoms to the scale of a bridge and make the connections that make it all useful. How neat is that? It is a blend of highly detailed science, creativity, and practicality. Best career advice, given or received: There are many paths to get where you are trying to go. You don’t need to follow the same path as others, and it is okay to find a different destination as you go. What are you working on now? I am currently working on alloy design of electrically conductive aluminum alloys for electric vehicles. My work involves understanding how precipitation behavior can be modified to balance strength and electrical conductivity. Tell us about your involvement with ASM. Due to the pandemic, I was not able to be involved in many professional societies during graduate school. I have enjoyed getting to know the larger materials community and being able to meet more women in the field. I am a metallurgist, so it is not uncommon for me to be the only woman in the room. ASM has allowed me to meet lots of other women within the field and build connections. Last podcast listened to? Sawbones: A Marital Tour of Misguided Medicine. Favorite quote? “It’s still magic even when you know how it’s done.” -Terry Pratchett in “A Hat Full of Sky.” Do you know someone who should be featured in an upcoming Face of Materials Engineering profile? Contact Vicki Burt at vicki.burt@asminternational.org. Meier
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