2013 was a momentous year for the Materials Research Society as we celebrated our 40th anniversary! And what an amazing 40 years it has been—for both the materials community and for MRS. In 1973, Rustum Roy and the inaugural roster of 215 members could never have imagined how quickly materials research would progress to change our history and shape our world, nor could they imagine the incredible impact the Society would have on those achievements. Today, MRS represents a diverse community of 16,600+ members from over 80 countries and is a recognized leader in the advancement of interdisciplinary materials research.
Orlando Auciello
2013 MRS President
Todd M. Osman
MRS Executive Director
Of course, the tremendous growth and success of our Society is the result of member involvement and the energetic efforts of many MRS volunteers. They offer their precious time, their spirit, their expertise and their unique perspectives for the betterment of the materials community worldwide. To all of them —members, volunteers, officers, headquarters staff, vendors, advertisers, exhibitors, sponsors, host cities and the materials community—we express our deepest gratitude. They have, indeed, helped create the framework upon which the Society has matured and flourished.
That collaborative spirit continued in 2013, as nearly 1000 volunteers rallied together to further the MRS vision of building a dynamic, interactive, global community of materials researchers. Turn the page and you will find a remarkable array of people, projects, places, premiers and previews that defined the year—by the numbers!
In addition, MRS is pleased to acknowledge a few special achievements of the past year, highlighting the work of our outstanding volunteers, committee members and headquarters staff. For example, we are extremely grateful to Magaly Spector and Dawnielle Farrar, chairs of the Diversity and Women in Materials Science and Engineering Subcommittees, respectively, for creating the MRS Graduate Student Mentoring Program and for their efforts in advancing the professional development of students and under-represented groups through special workshops and programs. The inaugural class of 34 mentor/mentees completed its 12-month program at the end of 2013 with great success and will soon expand to include undergraduate students.
MRS University Chapters sprung up around the globe last year and now total 79. Chapters in Ethiopia and Nigeria were made possible by a new free membership program for students in developing countries. Launched in 2013, these memberships, and resulting Chapters, will enable our talented and enthusiastic students to network and collaborate across campuses and continents.
We celebrated collaborations in 2013 with Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales, the Japan Society of Applied Physics, European MRS, Africa MRS, and Sociedade Brasileira de Pesquisa em Materiais. We continue to identify opportunities to work together on projects that will serve the materials community.
The MRS publications portfolio is flourishing, and that is due in large part to the outstanding vision and leadership of Paul McIntyre, chair of the recently restructured Publications Committee. During his 3-year term, which came to a close in 2013, MRS advanced into a new era of publications. Working in partnership with MRS headquarters and Cambridge University Press, not only did he champion efforts to strengthen the existing portfolio, but he led the charge to develop and launch two new journals— MRS Communications and MRS Energy & Sustainability-A Review Journal—as well as initiate multiple new book projects.
Whether gathering 100 Boston-area high school students for a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Model Car Challenge during MRS Fall Meetings in the mid-2000s, to serving as 2010 MRS President, to developing and co-editing books and journals on energy and sustainability over the past several years, Dave Ginley brings an unbridled passion and enthusiasm to MRS. That spirit continues with Dave's current leadership as Chair of the Meetings Committee. He is forging ahead on the Board vision to better serve MRS members and the materials community through meetings— with a focus on enhanced virtual technologies, expanded education/outreach events, and increased programming related to "use-inspired" industry-relevant research.
Xiao P. Jiang and the MTI Corporation have been exhibiting at MRS Spring and Fall Meetings for almost 20 years. Last summer, he and the Jiang Family Foundation expressed a desire to give back to the materials community. Their support has enabled the Materials Research Society Foundation to create a new award honoring post-doctoral researchers, with the first award to be presented at the 2014 MRS Fall Meeting.
Capping off the year, MRS was named one of Pittsburgh's 2013 Top Workplaces. We were thrilled to be included in the list and are grateful to our headquarters staff who made this happen.
Taking this momentum forward, the next 40 years promise to deliver even more excitement and innovation, as new pioneers and the next-generation of volunteers continue to advance the MRS mission…to advance materials…and to improve the quality of life.
