TMS2013 Links Materials Science to Solving Global Challenges

The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) displayed the best of what materials science and engineering has to offer the world at the society's 142nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition held in San Antonio, Texas, March 3-7, 2013. Nearly 4,000 materials scientists, engineers, researchers, and students from around the world came together to discuss and exchange ideas about materials science and engineering issues and technologies that have potential to solve critical global challenges in security, energy, transportation, and other sectors of society.

The annual event featured more than 3,000 technical presentations and special symposia, as well as nearly 100 exhibitors. Drawing attendees from industry, academia and government, the meeting also included numerous career and continuing education offerings, networking events, awards presentations, and a variety of student competitions and sessions.

"The TMS 2013 program in San Antonio had a near-record number of presentations in new, emerging and core topic symposia, highlighting the impressive technical breadth of TMS members and the very best of what TMS offers," said Dr. Neville R. Moody, TMS Director of Programming and a distinguished technical staff member at Sandia National Laboratories. "We're pleased that so many deeply experienced and knowledgeable experts participated as speakers, which also ensured a very strong technical program. I'm already looking forward to next year's 2014 TMS meeting in San Diego.”

Here are some highlights from this year's event:

Launch of a new energy journal – During TMS2013, TMS and its publishing partner ASM International officially announced a new journal on energy materials, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions E: Materials for Energy Systems. The quarterly journal, currently accepting papers for publication in 2014, will publish peer-reviewed, original research and review articles focused on the science of materials applied to or being investigated to address unique aspects of current and emerging energy technologies.

Presentation of a number of plenary talks by materials science and engineering leaders on topics including: 

    • Approaches and solutions to aluminum supply chain impurities issues – Seven industry and academic experts from around the globe examined the growing magnitude and impact of impurities across the entirety of the aluminum industry in one of several keynote sessions at TMS2013. Each of the experts focused on different issues, approaches, and technologies to manage and mitigate impurities across the aluminum supply chain. 

    • Global R&D trends, materials technologies, and solving society's challenges – A special symposium, Global R&D Trends — Implications for Material Sciences, recognized the achievements of Battelle Institute President and CEO Jeffrey Wadsworth, who chose to accept his 2013 Acta Materialia Materials and Society Award at TMS2013. Distinguished thought leaders from business, government and academia joined Wadsworth to discuss the state of international research and development (R&D), the role of materials science R&D, and the direct linkages between wise investments in R&D and economic prosperity. Speakers included Craig R. Barrett, retired CEO and Chairman of the Board of Intel Corporation; Siegfried S. Hecker, Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, Professor at Stanford University and Emeritus Director of Los Alamos National Laboratory; William D. Nix, Professor Emeritus and Lee Otterson Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University; and Subra Suresh, Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation. Several of the presentations are now available through the TMS Materials Innovation website.

    • Innovation in materials and manufacturing - Four high-level government and academic professionals presented key findings on future directions in manufacturing innovation and advanced manufacturing, as well as transformational processes that offer significant gains to rapid commercialization of new materials and products. As part of this plenary, Dr. Tresa Pollock, a TMS member and Alcoa Professor of Materials and Chair of the Materials Department at University of California at Santa Barbara, presented an update on the TMS-led study to identify and implement integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) in the aerospace, automotive, and maritime industries. The study, conducted on behalf of the U.S. Departments of Defense and Energy and the National Science Foundation, will provide a blueprint to implement this newly recognized discipline across various sectors.

Introduction of new Young Leader International Scholar program – As a result of a recent partnership between TMS and the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS), FEMS Young Leader International Scholar Vincenzo Palermo, of the National Research Council of Italy, presented a special lecture focused on graphene compounds' potential to revolutionize the way functional organic materials are used. This special presentation was one of many special conference events geared to young professionals as part of TMS's program to "Be the destination society for young professionals: technically, professionally and socially."

For more information about the TMS 2013 Annual Meeting, visit the TMS 2013 Annual Meeting & Exhibition website. A collection of news and information related to the meeting is available on the TMS2013 Press Page.

ABOUT TMS

TMS is a member-driven international professional society dedicated to fostering the exchange of learning and ideas across the entire range of materials science and engineering, from minerals processing and primary metals production, to basic research and the advanced applications of materials. Included among its 11,000 professional and student members are metallurgical and materials engineers, scientists, researchers, educators, and administrators from more than 70 countries on six continents.