Department News

The podcast, “Ceramic Tech Chat” features members of the American Ceramic Society who discuss personal, professional, and scientific discoveries in the fields of engineered ceramic and glass materials. In an episode released on December 20, 2023, Geoff Brennecka, Herman F. Coors Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, discusses the importance of having degree programs that focus specifically on ceramics, recalls the history and evolution of ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors, and describes how the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation’s new Teacher Training Workshops provide K–12 teachers guidance on effective ways to teach materials science. To listen to the episode, visit https://ceramictechchat.ceramics.org/974767/14167505-fostering-pathways-for-ceramic-engineers-geoff-brennecka.

 

The Colorado School of Mines football team, which is undefeated, is headed to McKinney, Texas to play in the 2023 NCAA Division II Championship! They will be facing Harding on December 16 at 12 pm Central Time, and the game will be televised on ESPNU and is also available for streaming on ESPN+. For more information about the game and upcoming free radio broadcast, click here to visit the Colorado School of Mines football team’s website. Congratulations to Flynn Schiele, Carter Forsythe, Jameson Kemp, Aksel Richard, Preston Rose, Peyton Rose, and Christian Peluse, who are all studying in the MME Department!

Professor Francisco Gil Coury (MME PhD 2018) of the Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais at the Federal University of São Carlos in Brazil is the lead author of a paper just published in Nature and coauthored by Cody Miller (MME PhD 2016 and now at Los Alamos National Laboratory), Robert Field (former director of Electron Microscopy Laboratory, now fully retired), and Michael Kaufman (current MME Professor and Director of Materials and Energy Initiatives in the Office of Research and Technology Transfer).

The article titled “On the origin of diffuse intensities in fcc electron diffraction patterns” explores the diffuse intensities observed in electron diffraction patterns that have been frequently misinterpreted as representing short- or medium-range order in a range of compositionally-complex face-centered cubic alloys. Coury and his co-authors provide the theoretical foundation to explain these intensities and a framework for determining the nature and location of such intensities that could indicate the presence of short-range order or medium-range order. Much of the electron microscopy was conducted in the Shared Instrumentation Facility (SIF) here at Mines and is an extension of the work in Cody Miller’s PhD dissertation. The complete article can be found here.

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.

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Scholarship Awardees 2022-2023

Bement Endowed Scholarship Fund – Aiden Ravnik

David C. Brown Scholarship – Alexandra “Grace” Cantrell

Alice & Ron Cox Current Use Scholarship Fund – Kelsey Ferro & Gabby Moreno

Dr. George Krauss Endowed Scholarship Fund – Camden Gruchow

Epstein Entrepreneurial Spirit Scholarship – Jackson McCloskey

Hoy E. Frakes Endowed Scholarship – Caleb Schenk

Fred Swanson Memorial Scholarship – Melanie Torres

John Hager in Materials Scholarship – Natalie Compton

John Hager Undergrad Scholarship – Naya Winklestein

John E. & Alverta Hatch Scholarship – Alex Hopkins

Robert E. Hochscheid Scholarship – Andy Lesuer

iDigMines Scholarship – Mitchel Lensing, Sarah Nordlander, Kailey Robb, Jillian Scott, Ashley Steffeck, and Claire Vozel

Matlock Endowed Scholarship – Emma Artebury

Schlechten Scholarship – Casey Brown

Ron Scrivner Endowed Scholarship – Peter Mylnek