Established Materials Technology: Front Page
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Oh, the Stories They Tell: Meet the Winners of the “TMS, MSE, and Me” Video Contest
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By Lynne Robinson
Posted on:
3/17/2010 12:00:00 AM...
It was a virtual thank you gift, a chance to let the world know about the role TMS had played in his career, and a message to others about the importance of passing on important life lessons to the next generation of materials engineers.
That’s how Fu Guo, professor and deputy dean in the College of Materials Science and Engineering at the Beijing University of Technology, viewed his entry in the “TMS, MSE, and Me” competition. His heartfelt message resonated with a number of viewers, earning him the third place prize, announced at the TMS 2010 Annual Meeting on February 14.
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Fu Guo and his students are all smiles accepting their video contest prize at the TMS 2010 Annual Meeting. Pictured left to right: Mengting Han, Dongyue Zhang, Limin Ma, 2009 TMS President Ray Peterson, Fuo Guo, and Guangchen Xu.
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A theme in Fu Guo’s winning entry is the importance of mentoring the next generation of materials engineers. Here, Fu Guo (seated) works with Guangchen Xu (left) and Ruihong Zhang. Both students have accompanied him several times to the TMS Annual Meeting, which has encouraged their research and provided them with valuable contacts.
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“When I saw the notice of the video contest, I couldn’t help but to make one to express my gratitude and show my close ties with TMS,” Guo said. “I hoped to express my thanks to TMS, which has brought me from a student to a professor, from a student member to a committee secretary, from an ordinary participant to an organizer and chairperson. I believe the spirit of TMS really has taken me to the frontiers of my research, while also contributing to my personal growth.”
Guo said he actually made three videos, each taking a different approach to tracing his relationship with TMS. With the aid of two graduate students, Mengting Han and Limin Ma, and an undergraduate student, Xiao Zhao, Guo recorded his thoughts and painstakingly chose the still photos to tell his story, from his first nervous presentation at the Materials Science and Technology (MS&T) Conference in 1999 to organizing two successful symposia on lead-free solder, to serving as secretary of the Electronic Packaging and Interconnection Materials committee. “The biggest headache was designing the whole story to express my ideas in less than three minutes, since I have so much to say and so many pictures to show,” he said. He chose his final submission by asking his entire research group of 13 students to vote for their favorite. Although their choice ultimately proved a winner, Guo said, “I actually really liked the other two versions, too.”
Encouraging student engagement in TMS activities—whether helping with a video project or attending an Annual Meeting—is a hallmark of Guo’s mentoring style. “In the video, I really wanted to show my students how I followed my career path and encourage them to “learn, network, and advance,’” he said.
With great pride, he recounts papers that his students have published, awards they have won, and research positions they have secured at TMS conferences. “My first participation at a TMS conference was encouraged by my research advisor at Michigan State University,” Guo said “I think it is really important for a graduate student to have this kind of opportunity to practice and present at an international conference of this stature. I believe it as an effective means to educate and cultivate a student’s comprehensive capability. That’s why I want my students to experience exactly what I experienced when I was a graduate student. “
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Genau (front) and her co-worker, Markus Kohler, who helped her produce her winning entry, make miniature aluminum rockets at the DLR open house featured in her video. (Click on images to enlarge.)
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Genau says seeing the sights of Europe has been a significant benefit of doing her post doctoral work overseas. Here, she is pictured in Brussels in front of the Atomium, a 335 ft tall model of a body-centered cubic (BCC) unit cell. “As a materials scientist, I got a big kick out of it,” she said.
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Inspiring the engineers of tomorrow was also a benefit that Amber Genau saw with her video entry, which was awarded second place. A guest scientist with Deutches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt Institute F. Materialphysik, DLR in Köln, Germany, Genau recounted how TMS kept her connected with colleagues and professional opportunities back in the United States while completing her post doctoral work overseas.
“I wasn’t originally intending to enter, but the more I saw the ads for the contest, the more I became convinced that I had a good story to tell,” she said.
When she alerted her father, a retired wildlife biologist who now substitute teaches, about the video, he promptly and proudly used it as an educational tool. “I think every student in my old school district has now seen this video of me,” said Genau. “If I can communicate to those kids the kinds of possibilities that exist in science and engineering, it will have been well worth the effort.”
Genau herself became interested in following science as a career path in high school, “encouraged along the way by some great teachers, particularly my high school physics teacher.” She decided to focus on materials engineering in high school because it combined aspects of both science and engineering, and now specializes as a physical metallurgist with a background in solidification.
Although far from her home town in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Genau said her experiences in Germany have greatly broadened her horizons, both personally and professionally. “I have learned a lot of new techniques and new science, I have made what I hope will be long-standing connections with scientists here. I also think the experience of being the ‘foreigner’ is valuable, especially in science where we spend so much time interacting with people from all over the world.”
Genau noted that friends and fans from both sides of the ocean have viewed and commented on her video since it was posted. “It’s been fun to hear all the feedback from the video—It’s really taken on a life of its own,” she said.
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In his winning video, Travis Halverson tells the story of how he combined his love for skiing with a materials science and engineering career. (Click on images to enlarge.)
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“I love skiing because of the creativity that can be infused into the riding,” said Halverson. “There is no one right way to make it down the mountain.”
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Like Genau, Travis Halverson felt he had a good story to tell with his video entry—and told it well enough to win the first place prize. An avid skier since the age of three, Halverson has found materials science and engineering to be an effective conduit for turning his life’s passion into his life’s work. A 2009 graduate from the University of Minnesota and currently an intern at Rocky Mountain Underground Skis in Summit County, Colorado, he said he first made the connection between skiing and materials science in high school, when he was dissatisfied with the performance and durability of his skis.
“I had several experiences of skis’ falling apart and a company’s not changing anything about its manufacturing process to correct for the problem. That’s when I began to become interested in ski construction,” he recalled. When looking through a book of college majors, he said materials science caught his eye because “part of the description included work with ski design and construction.”
While in college, Halverson pursued projects that enabled him to gain a solid knowledge base in ski technology and now draws on these experiences in his work with Rocky Mountain Underground Skis, a boutique ski manufacturer. “I can work and communicate easily with people who have been involved with ski construction for many years due to my understanding of the technology,” he said.
Halverson recounted his professional journey from the lift to the laboratory in his “TMS, MSE & Me Videos Contest” entry with the help of his roommate, Jake Strassman, who filmed and edited the piece, and Mike Waesche, owner and founder of Rocky Mountain Underground Skis, who opened up his shop as a shooting location. The result was a polished presentation that combined a quick primer on material considerations in ski construction with a demonstration of various ski styles set against the Rocky Mountains—close to where Halverson now lives and works.
The assistance and support of his friends in making the video—as well as the $2010 cash prize for winning the contest—are “much appreciated,” said Halverson.
Watch the winners of the “TMS, MSE & Me Videos Contest” on Channel TMS.
Lynne Robinson is a news and feature writer for TMS.
For other recent spotlight stories, please visit the Archive tab.
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