News, Events, and Seminars... Updated 02/8/12

Current News and Events

» MSEMatters Fall 2010 Newsletter (pdf)

Graduate Students: Information for the 2011 MSE Preliminary Exams is now available (pdf)

Los Alamos Researcher, Dr. Kurt Sickafus, Appointed as New Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
May 30, 2011

Dr. Kurt Sickafus, Project Leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory, has been named as the Alvin and Sally Beaman Professor and Head of the University of Tennessee (UT) Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), effective August 1, 2011.

For more information, please view the College of Engineering's press release.

MSE Assistant Professor Receives Prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award
April 20, 2011

Wei He, an assistant professor in the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s, College of Engineering, has received a National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award.

The CAREER award is one of NSF’s most prestigious awards to support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.

Click here to read the complete article on Tennessee Today.

Liaw Receives Chancellor’s Honor Award
April 19, 2010

The 2010 L. R. Hesler award was awarded to Peter Liaw, professor of materials science and engineering and the College of Engineering’s Ivan Racheff Chair of Excellence, at the Chancellor’s Honors Awards Banquet on Monday, April 19.

Since joining the faculty in 1993, Liaw’s contributions to students and the university have been outstanding. His prominent role in the field of materials sciences and his pursuit of research dollars have resulted in more than $20 million in education and research funds for the university. His leadership resulted in a multi-million-dollar grant from the National Science Foundation to create the International Materials Institute at UT, a program that provides students with a formal opportunity for international collaborations. In addition to his research and classroom work, Liaw has devoted a great deal of his time to the service of the university, participating on numerous committees to help better the campus community.

He has been honored as a College of Engineering Research Fellow in 2004 and a National Alumni Association Distinguished Service Professor.

Lundin Awarded Evgeny Paton Prize
March 26, 2010

Dr. Carl Lundin has been awarded the Evgeny Paton Prize by the International Institute of Welding. The Paton Prize is awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to science and technology through his (her) life time dedication to “applied research and development in the field of advanced technologies, materials and equipment for welding and allied processes.” The Evgeny Paton Prize consists of a Medal and Diploma given by the National Welding Committee of the Ukraine and the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute. The award also includes a visit by the winner to the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute in Kiev, Ukraine.

Radiation Expert Weber Named Eighth
UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair
March 25, 2010

William Weber, an authority in the ways radiation interacts with materials, has been named the eighth University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor’s Chair.

Weber will serve in the department of materials science and engineering at UT Knoxville and in ORNL’s materials science and technology division.

Click here to read the complete article on Tennessee Today.

Egami Receives 2010 J.D. Hanawalt Award
February 26, 2010

Dr. Takeshi Egami has just received the 2010 J.D. Hanawalt Award from the International Union of Crystallography, with S. J. L. Billinge. The Hanawalt Award is awarded for excellence for important contributions to the field of x-ray powder diffraction.

Paital Receives 1st Place in TMS Graduate Division Poster Contest
February 26, 2010

Sameer Ranjan Paital, a Ph.D. student working under Professor Narendra B. Dahotre, received the first place in the graduate division poster contest at the recently concluded The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) annual meeting, held February 14-18, 2010 in Seattle. His poster, titled “Wetting and Corollary Biocompatibility of Laser Synthetic Surface Micro Textures for Bone Tissue Engineering,” was chosen as the best one by the organizers of the Biological Materials Science Symposium at the 2010 TMS Annual meeting. A part of the research was performed in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The award includes $500 in prize money, a 1st place Ribbon and a certificate from the organizers, along with 1 year’s free registration to attend TMS upcoming meetings.

Important Dates

Monday, March 19 thru Friday, March 23, 2012 - Spring Break

No classes will be held; all administrative offices will be open.

MSE Honors Banquet
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Calhoun's on the River,
More information to follow

Friday, April 6, 2012 - Spring Holiday/Good Friday

No classes will be held; all administrative offices will be closed.

Upcoming Seminars

MSE Graduate Seminar

Tuesday, February 14, 2012
612 Dougherty, 1:25 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Sheng Dai , Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Dept of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Topic: Synthesis and Functionalization of Porous Carbon Materials for Energy Applications

For more information, contact
Dr. Wei He
at whe5@utk.edu

MSE Graduate Student
Research Highlights

Tuesday, January 31, 2012
612 Dougherty Engineering, 1:30 p.m.

2 Speakers 30 Minutes Each

1st Speaker: Lou Santodonato
Representing Dr. Liaw's Research Group

Topic: The Evolution of Local and Long-range Order in a High-Entropy Alloy, as it Solidifies from the Liquid Phase.

2nd Speaker: Lei Cai
Representing Dr. Wang's Research Group

Topic: Regulating Nerve Cell Fate on Biodegradable Polymer Nerworks