Department News

CCAC Director, Dr. Geoff Brennecka, has been made a Professional Member (Academician) of the Class “Science” in the World Academy of Ceramics. He will be officially awarded the Academy Diploma during the Plenary Session of CMCEE 14 in Budapest, Hungary, August 18-22, 2024. Only 15 candidates were selected for this prestigious honor in 2023.

For an updated listing of Academicians as well as more about the World Academy of Ceramics, visit www.waceramics.org.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) awards funding for cooperative research at Mines and with university partners in the Advanced Characterization of Metals under Extreme Environments (ACME²) through the Stewardship Science Academic Alliances (SSAA) Centers of Excellence Program.  ACME² will focus on fundamentally understanding metals and alloys at high temperatures and under fast loading rates and pressures with novel experimental and computational tools. ACME² will also train a diverse, technical workforce with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to address stockpile stewardship at the NNSA national laboratories (e.g., Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories).  SSAA Centers of Excellence Press Release

Dr. Suveen Mathaudhu published an article looking at the science of Beskar (a fictional metal from the Mandalorian) and comparing it to Damascus steels.  The article is free to download and available here,  article. 

Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) announces 12 honorees for its 2023 Business for the Arts Awards, including Sarah Harling’s MME team: Colorado School of Mines students and faculty in the George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and the Hennebach Program in the Humanities collaborated with performing arts collective itchy-O to create one-of-kind musical instruments, advancing the field of musical engineering and showcasing the intersection of the arts and science.

Dr. Prashun Gorai received the 2022 International Thermoelectric Society Young Investigator Award for “excellent original work and significant results in the field of thermoelectric”. This is an international award given annually to one early-career PI/researcher. More info here.

Dr. Emmanuel De Moor and Dr. John G. Speer are on the organizing committee of the 2023 International Symposium on New Developments in Advanced High-Strength Sheet Steels. The conference is shaping up great with substantial national and international attention by academia and industry. It should yield great visibility for Colorado School of Mines, ASPPRC, and MME! More info here. 

Mitchell Lensing, MME undergraduate, cleaned up in the Keramos Ceramic Mug Drop Competition! His mug survived the highest drop of 135 cm and met all the competition specifications.  Mitchell also submitted a mug in the aesthetic competition and won that too! This was the first time that Mines won in the Mug Drop competition. This is the beginning of yet another long string of Mines students’ achievements at MS&T. Read more here.

Dr. Kester Clarke wins the 2023 TMS Materials Processing & Manufacturing Division Distinguished (MPMD) Service award. This award recognizes an individual whose dedication and commitment to the TMS MPMD has made a demonstrable difference to the objectives and capabilities of the division and the society.