HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JANUARY 2026 44 California Chapter Activities McDonald is professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Alberta, Edmonton. He also is executive director of the Alberta Advanced Manufacturing International Hub. McDonald served on the ASM Board of Trustees, 2022-2025. He has served as editor-in-chief of ASM International’s Journal of Thermal Spray Technology since 2023. Wanjara Wins SWE Award Priti Wanjara, FASM, is the 2025 recipient of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Achievement Award for her landmark work in materials manufacturing and sustainability. This SWE APEX award honors women who have made significant, progressive, and long-standing technical contributions in engineering. Wanjara is principal research officer for the National Research Council of Canada’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies Center. She also served on the ASM Board of Trustees, 2019-2022. She earned her B. Eng (1993) and Ph.D. (1999) from McGill University in metallurgical and materials engineering. Wanjara is a previous winner of the ASM Silver Medal and ASM Canada Council Brian Ives Lectureship. Bahr Earns New Professorial Title David Bahr, FASM, was named the Reilly Professor of Materials Engineering at Purdue University, ratified by the school’s board of trustees on December 12, 2025. Bahr came to Purdue in 2012 as a professor and head of the School of Materials Engineering. He now serves as senior associate dean of faculty in the College of Engineering. Bahr is well MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Members of the Los Angeles and Orange Coast Chapters attend a plant tour of California Nanotechnologies’ Santa Ana facility on September 17, 2025. Officers from District II (Los Angeles, San Fernando, Orange Coast, and San Diego) met at Plasma Technology Inc. in Torrance in August 2025 to discuss the past Chapter year and upcoming plans. McDonald MEMBERS IN THE NEWS McDonald Named EIC Fellow André McDonald, FASM, was selected for a 2026 Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) Fellowship Award. He will be inducted at the EIC Awards Gala to be held on April 25 at the Hilton Lac-Leamy in Gatineau/Ottawa. The celebration will honor McDonald and other new Fellows and awardees. Wanjara
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTYyMzk3NQ==