AS WE TURN THE PAGE ON 2011, it seems the perfect time to look back on a pivotal year for the Materials Research Society (MRS). A year defined by new beginnings and collaborations, as well as continued expansion and growth in core services to our members and the materials community.
James J. De Yoreo
Todd M. Osman
The year began with the launch of the new MRS website, featuring streamlined, more intuitive site navigation, robust search capability, expanded social media and social bookmarking and an enhanced Member Directory. The “official start” of our historic partnership with Cambridge University Press quickly followed. By February, the full suite of MRS publications was live on Cambridge’s powerful electronic platform, Cambridge Journals Online (CJO), increasing the accessibility and impact of our content and expanding worldwide reach. By mid-year, MRS Communications—the first of many new publishing ventures expected from the MRS/Cambridge partnership—was introduced. Focused on reporting cutting-edge materials research, this online-only, “letters and prospectives” journal fills the niche for an exceptionally rapidreview publication. By year’s end, MRS published its first textbook, Fundamentals of Materials for Energy and Environmental Stability, and thanks to a generous endowment by Professors Gwo-Ching Wang and Toh-Ming Lu, presented the inaugural Materials Theory Award during the 2011 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston.
Of course, MRS firmly believes that successful collaborations produce a positive sustainable impact on the materials research community. To that end, MRS teamed with NOVA to produce a fourpart PBS primetime series on materials entitled MAKING STUFF—Stronger, Smaller, Cleaner, Smarter. The series debuted in early 2011, reaching over 14.6 million viewers. We extended the reach of our energy advocacy in Washington, D.C. through collaborations with other professional societies. Specifically, MRS partnered with the American Physical Society (APS) to release a new report on Energy Critical Elements: Securing Materials for Emerging Technologies, and with TMS, co-hosted the 2nd Government Agency Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. In collaboration with the European MRS (E-MRS) and the Chinese MRS (C-MRS), MRS hosted the first World Materials Summit Student Congress, bringing together 45 of the best and brightest students from around the world to work alongside today’s leading energy experts. And through an endowment established by Aldrich Materials Science, we launched a new Mid-Career Researcher Award.
These exciting new beginnings did not, however, detract us from the core tenets that brought MRS from its inception in 1973 to nearly 16,000 members in 2011. The meeting in San Francisco was the largest Spring Meeting in MRS history, both in scope and attendance, and the Fall Meeting Exhibit in Boston hosted a record-breaking 250 exhibitors. Our partnership with Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales for the XX International Materials Research Congress also drew record attendance. And MRS meetings continued to offer more than outstanding technical symposia. From professional development seminars and career opportunities, to outreach, advocacy and government agency sessions, MRS meetings were packed with activities to educate, participate and fascinate.
The excitement and growth of 2011 has left us well-positioned for the future. Already, the 2012 MRS Spring Meeting and Exhibit is expected to surpass last year, with 54 technical symposia—several of which are co-sponsored by the Japan Society of Applied Physics. Collaborations continue, as the second E-MRS/MRS Bilateral Conference on Energy will be part of the 2012 MRS Fall Meeting. MRS Bulletin has two special issues on tap for 2012—one on Materials for Sustainable Development, the other on Graphene. Journal of Materials Research (JMR) has already scheduled four special focus issues.
As we close the chapter on 2011, it’s important to thank our members, volunteers, partners, exhibitors, sponsors and headquarters staff. Your commitment to the Society and the materials community has enabled MRS to make a difference … to lead the way… to advance materials… and to improve the quality of life.
James J. De Yoreo, PhD
2011 MRS President
Todd M. Osman, PhD
MRS Executive Director
March 2012
2011 OFFICERS
James J. De Yoreo
President
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
David S. Ginley
Immediate Past President
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Bruce M. Clemens
Vice President/President Elect
Stanford University
Sean J. Hearne
Secretary
Sandia National Laboratories
Michael R. Fitzsimmons
Treasurer
Los Alamos National Laboratory
2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Wade Adams
Rice University
Ana Claudia Arias
University of California, Berkeley
Tia Benson Tolle
Air Force Research Laboratory
Flemming Besenbacher
Aarhus University
Eberhard Bodenschatz
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self Organization
Duane B. Dimos
Sandia National Laboratories
J. Murray Gibson
Northeastern University
Oliver Kraft
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Hideki Matsumura
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
Christine A. Orme
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Michael F. Rubner
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Takao Someya
The University of Tokyo
Susan E. Trolier-McKinstry
The Pennsylvania State University
Pierre Wiltzius
University of California, Santa Barbara
Todd M. Osman
Executive Director, Materials Research Society
2011 by the numbers
Looking back on 2011, we are delighted to see all the Materials Research Society has accomplished. With help from our members, volunteers, exhibitors, sponsors, partners and headquarters staff, our Society has truly flourished. We are pleased to present a year-end review of our biggest achievements by the numbers.
increased MRS membership to 15,992—the highest to date
launched the new MRS website, now yielding 3.1 million page views
partnered with Cambridge University Press to host the full suite of MRS publications on Cambridge Journals Online (CJO), bringing combined abstract views across all MRS publications to 1.5 million
introduced MRS Communications, the new full-color, high-impact journal with an aggressive production schedule that brings articles to publication within 14 days from acceptance
doubled the number of issues of Journal of Materials Research (JMR) to 24 annually
boasted 65 active University Chapters in the U.S.
enhanced MRS presence on social media, generating viral reach of 31,212 on Facebook alone
hosted 5,115 attendees at the 2011 MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco, making it our largest Spring Meeting yet
sold out the 2011 MRS Fall Meeting exhibit space twice, totaling a record-breaking 250 exhibitors
reached 14.6 million viewers through the four-part PBS primetime series on materials, MAKING STUFF—Stronger, Smaller, Cleaner, Smarter
held the first World Materials Summit & Student Congress in Washington, D.C., bringing together 150 of today’s energy and sustainability experts and the best and the brightest of tomorrow’s leaders of the worldwide scientific community
accommodated 602 job seekers at the Fall and Spring Meeting Career Centers
published the textbook Fundamentals of Materials for Energy and Environmental Sustainability with over 100 contributors from around the globe
presented the 1st Materials Theory Award at the 2011 MRS Fall Meeting in Boston
furthered our global reach by representing men and women from over 80 countries around the world in our membership and meetings
obtained a record attendance of 1,235 at the XX International Materials Research Congress (IMRC), held in partnership with the Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales (SMM)
honored 90 MRS members through the MRS Awards Program
achieved a readership of over 61,000 for the Materials360® newsletter
offered libraries and members online access to over 100,000 proceedings
papers in the MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL)
ranked in the top 10 percent of materials science journals with MRS Bulletin
enabled 7,499 letters to be sent to Congress through Materials Voice
