Meyya Meyyappan, NASA Ames Research Center, will receive the MRS Impact Award “for his lifelong dedication toward creating a significant and outstanding impact to understanding nanotechnology through global outreach initiatives and for unwavering mentorship.”

Meyyappan arrived at NASA Ames Research Center 20 years ago and began his efforts toward education and training opportunities in nanotechnology and nanomaterials. He was one of the original four members of the Interagency Working Group on Nanotechnology (IWGN) established by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The IWGN was responsible for organizing the US National Nanotechnology Initiative. Since then, Meyyappan has helped with national nanotechnology initiatives in the United Kingdom, Israel, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Canada, and several other countries.

Meyyappan was instrumental in creating an IEEE website (trynano.org) in collaboration with the IEEE Educational Activities Board. This website, geared toward educating high-school students and their teachers about nanotechnology, covers topics such as what is nanotechnology and what are the applications. He has worked with community college to create nanotechnology awareness. Meyyappan also offered a NATO short course on nanomaterials for aerospace application in eight different countries with attendees from both industry and academia.

Meyyappan is the chief scientist for Exploration Technology at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. He holds a PhD degree from Clarkson University, Potsdam. He has authored or co-authored more than 380 peer-reviewed journal articles, has presented more than 250 invited/keynote/plenary talks, and has given more than 250 seminars at universities. He is a Fellow of MRS, IEEE, ECS, AVS, IOP, AIChE, ASME, and the National Academy of Inventors. For his contributions and leadership in nanotechnology, he has received numerous awards, including a Presidential Meritorious Award, NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal, the IEEE Judith Resnick Award, the AIChE Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum Award, the IEEE-USA Professional Achievement Award, the AVS Nanotechnology Recognition Award, and the AVS Plasma Prize.

For his sustained contributions to nanotechnology, Meyyappan was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Council Hall of Fame in 2009. He has received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. He holds 22 nanotechnology patents, many of which have been commercialized. He also has the only nanotechnology product flown to outer space: a nano-chemical sensor monitoring air quality in the crew cabin on the International Space Station.