Chet Inman Award 2007

The ASM Worcester Chapter held its annual awards night on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at O'Connors Restaurant, 1160 W. Boylston St., Worcester. The award this year went to Justine Roberts, an undergraduate in the Mechanical Engineering department. Prof. Sisson accepted the award for Justine because at this moment she is in Denmark working on her MQP project.

Highlights of the Evening

	Prof. Sisson accepted award for Justine

Diana Lados and BJ Bernard	Presentation by Dr. Lados	Graduate Students attending event
Presentation by Prof. Sisson	Prof. Sisson discussing presentation with students	Diana Lados receiving award

NATIONAL TRUSTEE SPEAKER: Prof. Rick Sisson, FASM, ASM International Trustee: What's New Under the Dome? - ASM's new intiatives and Strategic Plan

Speaker

Richard D. Sisson, Jr. is the George F. Fuller Professor and Director of Manufacturing and Materials Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1969, an M.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Purdue University in 1974. After graduating from Purdue he joined DuPont's Savannah River Laboratory as a Research Metallurgist. He joined Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in 1976 as the Morgan Distinguished Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He progressed through the academic ranks and is currently Professor of Mechanical Engineering at WPI. Dr. Sisson has also worked at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and at Exxon Chemical. Dr. Sisson's teaching and research has focused on the applications of thermodynamics and kinetics to materials processing and degradation phenomena in metals and ceramics. He has more than 160 publications and more than 150 technical presentations on topics ranging from synthesis of nanocrystalline ceramics to hydrogen embrittlement of high strength steels. Dr. Sisson is currently the principal investigator on several research projects the Center for Heat Treating Excellence's.
Dr. Sisson became a Fellow of ASM International in 1993. He received the WPI Trustees Award as Teacher of the Year in 1987. In 2006 he was inducted into Virginia Tech's College of Engineering Excellence. He has been a Trustee of ASM International and is currently the vice-president of ASM's Heat Treat Society.

MEETING TOPIC: Fatigue Crack Growth in Metallic Materials: Mechanisms and Design Considerations

Fatigue strength and crack propagation behavior are key attributes when designing and optimizing materials and processes for fatigue critical and high-integrity structural applications. The design objective is to prevent fatigue failure, and this can be achieved through a holistic approach based on a fundamental understanding of fatigue, fatigue crack growth, and fracture mechanisms at the microstructural scale in tandem with a suitable design strategy. Despite the importance of this topic, there is limited knowledge on the subject. Fatigue crack growth microstructural mechanisms in Al-Si-Mg alloys will be presented along with fracture mechanics interpretations. Design considerations emerging from these findings will be reviewed and discussed.

Guest Speaker

Dr. Diana Lados is Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at WPI and affiliated faculty at the Metal Processing Institute (MPI, the largest university-industry alliance in N. A.). Dr. Lados received her BS/MS in Mech. Engrg. from Polytechnic University of Bucharest, her second MS in Mech. Engrg. from Southern Illinois U., and her PhD in Materials Science & Engrg. from WPI. She is credited with significant research contributions in the areas of fatigue, fatigue crack growth, and fracture mechanics. Dr. Lados has received several awards and honors in her field and has over 40 publications and 75 technical presentations. She is currently Vice Chair of ASM International's Worcester Chapter.

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Last modified: Jun 11, 2007, 16:23 EDT