HIGHLIGHTS ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | MARCH 2026 59 EMERGING PROFESSIONALS Student Materials Camp This popular program, designed for high school students, uses hands-on learning principles of applied math, physics, and chemistry led by a distinguished world-class faculty. The program is aimed at stirring interest in science and getting students excited about materials engineering careers as they learn to be team players and become “science detectives” at the camp. Teacher Materials Camp This weeklong program for K-12 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. 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: 30 grants of $500 each. Deadline September 30. To learn more about any of these programs, visit asmfoundation.org. EMERGING PROFESSIONALS Join Our Career-Boosting Network Are you early in your career and interested in becoming more involved with ASM International, but unsure where to begin? The ASM Emerging Professionals Committee (EPC) is designed for individuals navigating the early stages of their professional journey who are seeking meaningful engagement within the global materials community. The EPC brings together early-career professionals from academia, government laboratories, and industry, representing a broad range of technical backgrounds and career paths within materials science and engineering. The committee provides a collaborative platform to build professional networks, exchange ideas, and gain visibility within ASM. EPC activities support mentoring, resource development, outreach to ASM chapters, and programs that promote professional growth and career readiness. Committee membership offers the opportunity to contribute to ASM while developing leadership, organi- zational, and communication skills. Members participate in focused subcommittees and may progress into leadership roles over time. The EPC follows a three-year commitment model, allowing members to build sustained engagement, form lasting professional connections, and carry initiatives from concept through execution. The committee meets monthly via video conference and holds an annual in-person business meeting at ASM’s IMAT conference. While IMAT attendance is not mandatory, it offers valuable opportunities for face-to-face networking. Applications for the Emerging Professionals Committee are now being accepted, with a deadline of March 16. To apply, visit ASM Connect, navigate to Volunteer Opportunities, and select Emerging Professionals Committee (2026). For questions, contact Drew Fleming at drew.fleming@asminternational.org. If viewing online, use this link: https://bit.ly/4t9fyDp. In addition, the EPC is accepting nominations for the Emerging Professionals Achievement Award. This prestigious award recognizes ASM early-career volunteers making a real impact in our Society. It comes with an individual plaque and a $1000 award to offset travel and hotel expenses associated with attendance at IMAT. Nominate a deserving Emerging Professional today! Visit asminternational.org/about-asm/awards for details. Deadline is March 16. THE FACE OF MATERIALS ENGINEERING This profile series features members from around the world at all stages in their careers. Here we speak with Amrutha Sampath, senior electrical failure analysis engineer at NXP Semiconductors in Austin, Texas. What problem are you obsessed with solving right now? As a failure analysis (FA) engineer, I’m drawn to the kinds of failures that don’t give up their secrets easily, such as stuck-at-reset behaviors, intermittent speckled failures, and cases where the root cause hides behind layers of complexity. These are the problems that keep me up at night and push me to think beyond standard workflows. What drives me today is an even bigger industry challenge: As we move into angstrom-class nodes with backside power delivery architectures, many traditional FA and optical fault isolation techniques begin to reach their physical limits. It’s clear that our generation will need to Sampath
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