George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical
and Materials Engineering
Metallurgical and materials engineering plays a role in all manufacturing processes which convert raw materials into useful products adapted to human needs. The primary goal of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering program is to provide students with a fundamental knowledge-base associated with materials-processing, their properties, and their selection and application.
The emphasis in the department is on teaching and research focused toward materials processing operations which encompass: the conversion of mineral and chemical resources into metallic, ceramic or polymeric materials; the synthesis of new materials; refining and processing to produce high performance materials for applications from consumer products to automobiles, aerospace and electronics; the development of mechanical, chemical and physical properties of materials related to their processing and structure; and the selection of materials for specific applications.
George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical
and Materials Engineering
Metallurgical and materials engineering plays a role in all manufacturing processes which convert raw materials into useful products adapted to human needs. The primary goal of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering program is to provide students with a fundamental knowledge-base associated with materials-processing, their properties, and their selection and application.
The emphasis in the department is on teaching and research focused toward materials processing operations which encompass: the conversion of mineral and chemical resources into metallic, ceramic or polymeric materials; the synthesis of new materials; refining and processing to produce high performance materials for applications from consumer products to automobiles, aerospace and electronics; the development of mechanical, chemical and physical properties of materials related to their processing and structure; and the selection of materials for specific applications.
A Welcome Message
Dear Friends of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering,
It has been a great fall at Mines, with MME celebrating many successes of our students and faculty. Most notably, Professor John Speer was awarded the Bessemer Medal for outstanding research in steel metallurgy and Assistant Professor Geoff Brennecka was made a Fellow of the American Ceramics Society, an honor hardly ever awarded to such a young researcher. Our undergraduate students were recognized as the best Materials Advantage Chapter at the Materials Science and Technology meeting this fall. They continue to find jobs at a high rate and go on to very successful careers.
Mines continues to strengthen its materials research with the addition of new facilities for materials characterization. We have installed a new PANalytical x-ray diffraction instrument that will allow state-of-the-art lab-scale characterization of the materials we produce. An atmospheric pressure x-ray photoelectron spectrometer will be delivered shortly, enabling studies of reactions of gases with materials, and within the next year we expect an advanced secondary ion mass spectrometry instrument. All of these complement the existing facilities, including a Talos transmission electron microscope and Cameca atom probe. In all, we are building one of the best and most up-to-date analytical facilities in the region that will support Mines, national and local industry and other universities.
MME has some departmental changes under discussion as well. Geoff Brennecka and Corinne Packard proposed undergraduate curriculum revisions that will expand materials courses into the sophomore year, allowing more flexibility for study abroad, internships, and other such enrichment opportunities, as well as better accommodating students who are off-schedule. We are also considering increasing coordination between the Materials Science graduate program and the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department and its graduate programs, without negatively impacting the very successful degree programs we currently have in place. When we look around campus, the scale and scope of the materials research and teaching efforts is extensive. It is really exciting to be at the forefront of it.
Please be in touch with us if you have a comment, a suggestion, or are visiting the area. We are always happy to see you.
Angus Rockett
Department Head
January 2018
Upcoming Seminar:
Dr. Christopher Richardson, University of Maryland
Epitaxial Superconductors for Quantum Computers
- 5PM – 8PM on Tuesdays and 10 AM – 1 PM on Fridays in the foundry (HH 125), beginning the week of October 22, 2018
- Sign up will start at 1PM the day before each free pour (so Mondays & Thursdays) on the chalkboard outside the Foundry
- Must be wearing laboratory attire (close-toed shoes, long pants, and a long or short-sleeved shirt)
- Please arrive promptly at 10 AM for safety briefing and short instructional lecture
- Anyone may watch from the Mezzanine at any time
- Contact Dr. Jeffrey King with any additional questions: kingjc@mines.edu
- Directions to Foundry HH 125
Please note: Cancellations are possible. See chalkboard for details.
Department Highlights
- Brennecka named Fryrear Chair for Innovation and Excellence
- Robots could improve safety of power plant inspection, repair
- First-of-its-kind instrument to call CoorsTek Center home
- CoorsTek sculpture transforms aluminum oxide into art
- Materials informatics fellowship trains next-gen workforce
- Steel scientists recognized for thermal processing research
- Clarke receives Young Investigator Award from ONR
- Clarke to take a close look at additively manufactured alloys
- Mines graduate student wins materials science prize
- Brice to lead new Advanced Manufacturing Program