PRESIDENT’S POSTSCRIPT—BUILDING OUR COMMUNITY

During my first MRS Meeting in the fall of 1985, MRS Von Hippel Award winner R.W. Balluffi (MIT) presented experimental findings that challenged an assumption related to my thesis. In an act that was unquestionably selfless and honorable, Professor Balluffi ceded time to allow my advisor, S.L. Sass (Cornell), to present data supporting my young assumptions. Such willingness to share time and information across generations and with civility is a hallmark of the scientific community, and especially members of the Materials Research Society. Our meetings are a safe place to exchange information, because we respect people and data from all disciplines and career stages.

I am privileged to have served the past year as President of MRS—a Society I find to be energetic and that delivers opportunities to be intellectually recharged. This sense of selfless, enthusiastic engagement is shared and appreciated by our members.

I especially enjoy and appreciate the passion and excitement among our youngest members, as they present their talks and posters. They are catalysts for innovative engagement opportunities—PowerPoint™ Karaoke is one great example—that MRS provides and fosters. In the era of the digital echo, it is very easy to become distracted. The challenge to all of us is to enjoy the good experiences our career choices afford.

Michael R. Fitzsimmons 2019 MRS President

HIGHLIGHTS

MRS is committed to engaging our members and serving the needs of our community—from students to seasoned professionals. To those ends, we recently introduced “hot topic” areas—artificial intelligence (AI), quantum materials, emerging biomaterials, sustainability, and responsive and adaptive materials—to forge new materials communities and guide content development at the frontiers of materials research. Over the past year, these hot topic areas have proved highly popular, with strong webinar attendance, heavily downloaded journal articles, packed symposium sessions, and more. In fact, in a relatively short time, they have permeated all Society activities.

To further awareness of these new topics and their value to our members and materials community, MRS held its inaugural Frontiers Reception during the 2019 MRS Spring Meeting. We brought together those interested in any of the hot-topic areas—whether expert or new to the field—in a casual, fun, interactive way. During the energetic brainstorming session we cultivated relationships and shared ideas for building new materials communities. The inaugural Reception was so well received we repeated it at the 2019 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston, where it drew over 400 attendees!

2019 also saw a continued focus on professional development and career services. Salary negotiation, resume writing, interviewing, and networking skills are just a few of our popular offerings. The iMatSci Innovation Showcase has become an increasingly valuable platform for those with entrepreneurial interests. And the Journal of Materials (JMR) annual “Early Career Scholars in Materials Science” issue provided a unique opportunity for researchers to be highlighted and promoted early in their careers.

This is just a small sampling of the community-driven programs MRS volunteers and staff delivered over the past year. To learn more about how you can participate in MRS and help shape the future of our vibrant Society, please visit mrs.org.

THANK YOU!

2019 MRS OFFICERS

PRESIDENT

Michael R. Fitzsimmons

Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The University of Tennessee

PAST PRESIDENT

Sean J. Hearne

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

VICE PRESIDENT

Matt Copel

IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

SECRETARY

Eric A. Stach

University of Pennsylvania

TREASURER

David J. Parrillo

Dow

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Todd M. Osman

Materials Research Society