MT@TMS Frequently Asked Questions
Please browse the frequently asked questions below to find your answer. If you need additional assistance, please contact webmaster@tms.org
What types of resources can I find on Materials Technology @ TMS?
Materials Technology@TMS was launched in 2007 for materials science and engineering professionals throughout the world to network, share knowledge and utilize resources online in technology specific communities. The site currently houses four of these technical communities: Materials Education, Established Materials Technologies, Emerging Materials Technologies, and Materials and Society.
Each technical community features a daily news page specific to that area, as well as a monthly spotlight providing more in-depth information on a relevant topic. A series of gray tabs running along the top of every technical community home page will enable you to navigate to these articles.
Access is also provided to publications and conferences matched to the interests of each specific technical community. The links to these resources are located in the Community Resources box in the upper right corner of each technical community’s home page.
A special feature of the technical communities is Digital Resource Centers (DRCs), which is devoted to highly focused areas of expertise. Designed to put current, in-depth technical information at the fingertips of materials professionals, the DRCs offer online access to databases, presentations, books, reports, scientific articles, software, videos and other resources. DRC users can also interact in real-time on discussion boards to share information and address important questions in that area. Although initially established by advisory groups comprised of experts in each of the DRC topics, these resources are now sustained by contributions from members of the international materials community—professionals like you!
[BACK TO TOP]
Do I need to register to use the resources on Materials Technology@TMS?
All content on Materials Technology@TMS can be viewed by all visitors at no charge, but only registered users may post comments in the discussion areas and contribute to or comment on resources in the Digital Resource Centers. Registration is free and can be done by accessing
New User Registration link. TMS members do not need to register. Simply log in to fully access all resources.
[BACK TO TOP]
What are the Digital Resource Center topics?
The Digital Resource Center topics within each of the Materials Technology@TMS technical communities are as follows:
- Materials Education Community
An array of materials and tools designed to support materials science and engineering educators are a click away in this Digital Resource Center, supported by the National Science Foundation. Course notes and exercises, on-line tutorials, visualizations and current literature are included in this extensive online resource.
- Established Materials Technologies Community
• Magnesium: Focuses on the use of magnesium in structural application. Includes information on basic metallurgy, processing, alloys, and physical and mechanical behavior, as well as access to a variety of industry contacts.
• High Temperature Materials/Superalloys: Offers performance evaluation tools along with resources on processing issues and information on alloys for various applications.
- Emerging Materials Technologies Community
• Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME): Considered a transformative discipline in materials engineering, ICME involves the development of materials models that quantitatively describe processing-structure-property relationships. The ICME Digital Resource Center provides access to a selection of executable computational materials codes, as well as databases for computational purposes and a compendium of current literature.
- Materials and Society Community
• Materials for Nuclear Power: Provides an overview of materials in nuclear applications for those new to the field. Professionals actively engaged in the nuclear power industry will find resources on materials processes in nuclear power plants, as well as on management of nuclear waste.
• Lead-Free Solder: Focuses on the metallurgy of lead-free solders and the underlying material principles for new alloy development and application.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I access the Digital Resource Centers?
From the Materials Technology@TMS home page, click on the technical community (Materials Education, Established Materials Technologies, Emerging Materials Technologies, Materials and Society) that interests you. At the upper right of the community home page is a box labeled Community Resources. The Digital Resource Centers (DRC) pertaining to that particular community are listed under the heading, “Digital Resource Areas.” Click on the name of the DRC you wish to access to be taken to those resources.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I search Materials Technology @ TMS Resources?
There are two search tools available to Materials Technology@TMS users. At the upper right of each technical community home page is a box labeled Community Resources. The search tool presented there accesses news and spotlight articles, as well as general information posted in that community.
For a more specific search of resources in a particular Digital Resource Center (DRC), find the name of the DRC you wish to access under the Digital Resources Areas heading in the Community Resources box. Click on the DRC name. This will take you to that DRC’s particular home page. At the top of the DRC home page, you will see a gray tab titled, Search. Click on that tab and follow the search criteria prompts that appear on that DRC’s search page.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I set my user preferences?
A black menu bar runs down the left side of all the Materials Technology@TMS community pages. Find the User Tools heading on the menu bar and then click on View User Profile underneath that. Input your information on the Edit Profile form that pops up. Make sure you click on the Save Changes tab at the bottom of the form when you are finished.
[BACK TO TOP]
What types of resources are appropriate to contribute to the Digital Resource Centers?
We welcome any resource that you feel would advance knowledge or provide support to the users of a particular Digital Resource Center (DRC). These can include links to useful Web sites and other online resources, as well as images or PDFs of an article or presentation that you have prepared. Before you contribute an attachment, however, please be sure you have copyright permission to do so. The categories listed within each DRC should give you a good sense of the information that Materials Technology@TMS users are currently seeking. Each DRC also has an FAQ with more guidance on the specific types of resources that would best fit that particular technical area. The FAQ can be accessed by clicking on the gray FAQ tab at the top of the DRC home page.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I post a resource in the Digital Resource Center?
First, you must log in to the Digital Resource Center (DRC) of your choice. Once you enter the DRC home page, you will see a gray Login tab at the top. Click that tab and enter the information requested in the form that appears. If you are not a TMS member, you will need
to register here in order to receive a username and password.
Once you have logged in, click on the category area within the DRC that best fits your resource. You will then see a gray New Topic tab at the top of the page. Click on this to access a posting form. In the Message Title box of the form, enter the name or title of your resource. The Topic Summary box directly underneath enables you to give a very brief summary to help users make a decision about viewing your resource as they scan the DRC. The Message Text box on the form allows you to provide a more complete description of your resource, as well as citation information.
- To provide a link to your resource:
• Click on the http icon on the blue tool bar of the posting form.
• For some Web browsers, a yellow message will appear, requesting you to allow scripted windows. Click on the yellow message bar. A gray message bar will then appear asking you to temporarily allow scripted windows. Click on that message. Complete this process by clicking on the on the http icon on the blue tool bar again.
• A pop-up window requesting the URL of your resource will appear. Type or paste your URL in that box and click OK.
• Another pop up window requesting text for your link will then appear. Type in a name for your link here and click OK.
- To create an attachment for your posting:
Before you contribute an attachment, please be sure you have copyright permission to do so.
• Scroll down to the Attach File(s) prompt toward the bottom of the posting form. Click on the prompt.
• An Upload File window will appear. Click on the Browse button, which will access a Choose File window. Navigate to the location of the file on your hard drive.
• Select the file that you wish to attach. Click on the Open button at the bottom of the Choose File window. This will close the window and return you to the Upload File window.
• Click on the Upload File icon in the upper right of the window. The name of your file will appear in the File Listing of the window.
• Select the file that you wish to attach from the File Listing. Click the Attach File prompt.
• The name of your file will now appear in the Attachments box on the
posting form.
- To post your resource:
• Click on the Preview prompt directly under the Message Text box to view what your source will look like once it is posted in the DRC.
• When you are satisfied with your posting, click the Post Message prompt under the Message Text box.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I embed links in my Digital Resource Center posting?
To provide a link to your resource:
• Click on the http icon on the blue tool bar of the posting form.
• For some Web browsers, a yellow message will appear, requesting you to allow scripted windows. Click on the yellow message bar. A gray message bar will then appear asking you to temporarily allow scripted windows. Click on that message. Complete this process by clicking on the on the http icon on the blue tool bar again.
• A pop-up window requesting the URL of your resource will appear. Type or paste your URL in that box and click OK.
• Another pop-up window requesting text for your link will then appear. Type in a name for your link here and click OK.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I attach a document or image to my Digital Resource Center posting?
Before you contribute an attachment, please be sure you have copyright permission to do so.
To create an attachment for your posting:
• Scroll down to the Attach File(s) prompt toward the bottom of the posting form. Click on the prompt.
• An Upload File window will appear. Click on the Browse button, which will access a Choose File window. Navigate to the location of the file on your hard drive.
• Select the file that you wish to attach. Click on the Open button at the bottom of the Choose File window. This will close the window and return you to the Upload File window.
• Click on the Upload File icon in the upper right of the window. The name of your file will appear in the File Listing of the window.
• Select the file that you wish to attach from the File Listing. Click the Attach File prompt.
• The name of your file will now appear in the Attachments box on the posting form.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I format my Digital Resource Center posting?
You cannot code your own HTML on the posting form. Instead, you must use the blue tool bar to incorporate boldface, italic or underline type in your posting, as well as other special formatting. These options are indicated by standard word processing icons. To use a formatting option:
• Click on the icon of the formatting that you want to use on the blue tool bar of the posting form.
• For some Web browsers, a yellow message will appear, requesting you to allow scripted windows. Click on the yellow message bar. A gray message bar will then appear asking you to temporarily allow scripted windows. Click on that message. Complete this process by clicking on the http icon on the blue tool bar again.
• A pop-up window requesting the text to be formatted will appear. Type the text in the box provided and click OK.
[BACK TO TOP]
Do you require citations with a posted resource?
We strongly encourage our Digital Resource Center contributors to include citations, using any standard documentation format. This not only protects the intellectual property rights of your resource, but also gives users valuable information about its origins, relevance, and currency.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I comment on a resource?
First, you must log in to the Digital Resource Center (DRC) of your choice to be able to comment on a resource. Once you enter the DRC home page, you will see a gray Login tab at the top. Click that tab and enter the information requested in the form that pops up. If you are not a TMS member, you will need to create a free
User Registration in order to receive a username and password. Once you have logged in, access the individual entry that interests you. There is a Comment on Posting prompt located on the gray bar on the bottom of each individual entry. Click on that prompt and a comment window will appear. Type your comment in the box provided and click on Reply to Topic when you are finished.
[BACK TO TOP]
Can I edit a comment or resource that I have previously posted?
You must first log in to the Digital Resource Center (DRC) in order to edit your resource. Once you have logged in, access the entry you wish to edit. There is an Edit prompt located on the gray bar on the bottom of the individual entry. Click on Edit to access the editing window for that entry. Make your changes and click on Edit Message when you are finished.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I participate in a discussion thread?
You must first log in to the Digital Resource Center (DRC) of your choice to be able to participate in an online discussion. Once you enter the DRC home page, you will see a gray Login tab at the top. Click that tab and enter the information requested in the form that pops up. If you are not a TMS member, you will need to create a free
User Registration in order to receive a username and password.
Near the top of every DRC home page is an Open Discussion or Discussion Zone category. Click on that category to view the active discussion threads. Select the discussion topic that interests you. There is a Comment on Posting prompt located on the gray bar on the bottom of each individual comment in the discussion thread. Click on that prompt in the comment that you would like to respond to and a comment window will appear. Type your comment in the box provided and click on Reply to Topic when you are finished.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I begin a discussion thread?
You must first log in to the Digital Resource Center (DRC) of your choice to be able to initiate an online discussion. Once you enter the DRC home page, you will see a gray Login tab at the top. Click that tab and enter the information requested in the form that pops up. If you are not a TMS member, you will need
to create a free
User Registration in order to receive a username and password. Near the top of every DRC home page is an Open Discussion or Discussion Zone category. Click on that category to view the active discussion threads. To begin a new discussion thread, click on the gray New Topic tab at the top of the page to access a posting form. In the Message Title box of the form, enter the title of your discussion topic. The Topic Summary box directly underneath enables you to give a very brief summary of your discussion. Although optional, providing a topic summary enables users to make a quick decision about participating in your discussion as they are browsing the DRC. The Message Text box on the form allows you to provide background and additional information about your discussion topic. When you are satisfied with your posting, click on the Post Message prompt.
[BACK TO TOP]
How do I navigate back to the Materials Technology@TMS home page from a Digital Resource Center?
A Digital Resource Center (DRC) appears in a pop up window based in a related Materials Technology@TMS technical community home page. You should be able to toggle between the DRC and related home page. You can also simply close the DRC window, and the technical community home page will appear, along with navigation back to the Materials Technology@TMS and other technical communities on the left side of the page.
[BACK TO TOP]
Is there any content that TMS considers inappropriate for posting?
TMS reserves the right to remove any postings or messages if:
they contain language, topics or actions deemed to be inappropriate or offensive;
they impugn the reputation, work, and/or research of another;
they promote the purchase or use of a product or service not sanctioned by TMS and/or provide incentives to purchase or use said product or service;
they promote a religious or political agenda;
or they do not relate to the topic or intent of that particular community;
[BACK TO TOP]
Who do I contact if I have any technical difficulties with any of Materials Technology@TMS’ resources?
For assistance with any technical difficulties you may encounter with Materials Technology@TMS resources, please contact
webmaster@tms.org.
[BACK TO TOP]