11 minute read
MATERIALS WORLD
This spring, eight Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) students from Drexel — including four Honors College students — traveled to sunny Orlando to attend The Minerals, Metals, and Materials (TMS) spring meeting. Their goal — participate in the Materials Bowl, a materials-based quiz competition among MSE undergraduate students across national institutions. The winners would be showered with prizes, fame, and a literal “materials” bowl trophy. As it turns out, many other schools had the same idea as Drexel — this was the largest materials bowl to ever be held and there was stiff competition as a result! Despite this, the Drexel team was determined to have fun, and put their best foot forward, with three members of the Pennoni Honors College on the four-person competition team. Though this was their first time participating, the Drexel team placed in the top 10. They even found free time during their trip to stop at Disney World and see the Epcot ball! — Cailey Ruderman, BS/MS materials science and engineering ’24; Marley Downes, BS/MS materials science and engineering ’24; Lia DiMitri, BS/MS materials science and engineering ’25; Alessandra Cabrera, materials science and engineering ’26
Cailey Ruderman, BS/MS materials science and engineering ’24
Drexel University prides itself on its global reputation, especially in the field of materials science and engineering. Reputations are earned and must be maintained intentionally year after year. Attendance at conferences like the TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition is integral to upholding our reputation and advancing it through the world-class, cross-disciplinary exchange of technical knowledge offered by TMS. This year, the Drexel University chapter of Material Advantage stewarded the first substantial undergraduate participation at the TMS Annual Meeting and Exhibition in at least 10 years, according to Dr. Richard Knight, the student organization's faculty advisor. This effort, enabled by the financial support of the Pennoni Honors College, provided this incredible opportunity for us as undergraduates and honors students.
At TMS 2024, I attended numerous sessions highlighting state-of-the-art research and industry trends. I networked with members of my field from across the globe, made new connections, and developed existing ones. I was even invited to present my senior design research project with a poster in a session dedicated to the otherwise niche topic of "Advances in Multi-Principle Element Alloys." I received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and I am now more confident than ever that the work I am completing here at Drexel is worthwhile and transformative for my field. This perspective could not have been gained without this exposure to the other institutions that are actively researching the same topic across the globe. We experienced the frontier of scientific knowledge in the field of materials engineering at TMS 2024, and I am so grateful and excited to bring this perspective back to my peers.
Materials Science & Engineering students gain insight and experience at the Minerals, Metals, & Materials spring conference in Orlando.
In college, we have many “firsts” — whether that be the first time moving away from home, the first time stepping foot into a lecture hall, or our first time working a full-time job. Although we may relocate several times throughout our lives and have brand new experiences, the first time we do something is always special. I am honored to have attended my first conference: the 2024 TMS Conference in Orlando, with seven of my fellow MSE majors from Drexel University. We made wonderful memories sharing meals together and cracking jokes. By the end of the conference, we learned a lot and truly bonded as a group. I definitely still have a lot to learn about metals, but seeing the connection between academic research and my classes was very valuable, and it certainly reaffirmed my passion for materials science. It was heartening to see that Drexel was well-represented at TMS with undergraduates, grad students, and faculty. The TMS Conference has inspired me to seek out many more “firsts” and hopefully present my own research at conferences like this in the future.
Marley Downes, BS/MS materials science and engineering ‘24
TMS is one of the major materials-focused conferences to be held each year, attracting 4,000 attendees from around the world to their Annual Meeting & Exhibition. During my time at Drexel, I have been lucky enough to attend two of their meetings: once as a scholarship winner and most recently with the generous support of the Pennoni Honors College. When I attended last year as part of my scholarship, I presented my research to the Light Metals Division (LMD) of TMS and got to meet with many of the organization’s important figures, including their former president! Though my work is mainly in nanomaterials synthesis, the LMD was extremely welcoming and encouraged me to look into the Material Advantage (MA) events hosted at TMS, mainly the Materials Bowl.
I returned to Drexel and immediately began to get my MA team excited about attending the conference this year, competing in the Materials Bowl, and possibly restarting our old Bladesmithing team (another undergraduate competition at TMS — yes students compete to produce a blade by forging and welding!) With plenty of planning and fundraising from our secretary, Cailey, we were able to make TMS 2024 a reality and support travel for 8 MA members — both outgoing seniors giving one last hurrah and the underclassmen who make up the future of MA.
Additionally, one of our members won a similar scholarship to mine, continuing the legacy of Drexel excellence at TMS. The Drexel team stuck together for the Materials Bowl, with the underclassmen cheering the team on! While the competition tested my materials knowledge — and showed me where I need to study more — the most exciting aspect of the conference was meeting other researchers in my field and having engaging discussions about our research. During the poster session, I even ran into Dr. Babak Anasori (professor at Purdue, but received his PhD from Drexel) and Drexel MSE professor and my mentor, Dr. Yury Gogotsi. As my last undergraduate conference, TMS 2024 was certainly a success and I look forward to what the future will hold!
Lia DiMitri, BS/MS materials science and engineering ’25
Time and time again, I find myself immensely grateful for not only the opportunities Drexel University has offered me, but also the people, connections, and relationships fostered along the way to make these opportunities possible. Through tremendous effort and coordination among our executive board with the Pennoni Honors College, the Materials Science and Engineering Department, and the Student Organization Resource Center, TMS 2024 in Orlando, Florida, was made possible for me. As vice president of Material Advantage and incoming president of our organization, the sheer dedication our seniors had in arranging this trip and Drexel’s support throughout the process serve as an example of my commitment to expanding these opportunities to students in the future. At the conference itself, I was unsure if I would find presentations tailored to my interests in biomaterials since it was hosted by TMS, the Metals, Minerals, and Materials Society. However, to my surprise, an entire hall at the convention center was dedicated to biomaterials, ranging from talks regarding the nanostructure of enamel to honey-mediated gold nanoparticles for drug delivery. I was able to relate these talks to my own research at Drexel and co-op at Johnson & Johnson, gaining both insight into my work and a glimpse into the future of my career. One talk in particular — using AI to Improve Medical Devices — struck my attention, as it delved into the use of emerging technologies to mediate current failings of orthopedic devices. Since I currently work part-time for DePuy Synthes, the orthopedics company of Johnson & Johnson, I was actually able to report significant findings discussed at this presentation to my boss and coworkers after the conference, who found them equally as interesting. The conversations fostered throughout and as a result of the conference have reinvigorated my passion for materials science and engineering, providing a renewed sense of purpose in my academic and professional journey.
Marley Downes, BS/MS materials science and engineering ‘24
TMS is one of the major materials-focused conferences to be held each year, attracting 4,000 attendees from around the world to their Annual Meeting & Exhibition. During my time at Drexel, I have been lucky enough to attend two of their meetings: once as a scholarship winner and most recently with the generous support of the Pennoni Honors College. When I attended last year as part of my scholarship, I presented my research to the Light Metals Division (LMD) of TMS and got to meet with many of the organization’s important figures, including their former president! Though my work is mainly in nanomaterials synthesis, the LMD was extremely welcoming and encouraged me to look into the Material Advantage (MA) events hosted at TMS, mainly the Materials Bowl.
I returned to Drexel and immediately began to get my MA team excited about attending the conference this year, competing in the Materials Bowl, and possibly restarting our old Bladesmithing team (another undergraduate competition at TMS — yes students compete to produce a blade by forging and welding!) With plenty of planning and fundraising from our secretary, Cailey, we were able to make TMS 2024 a reality and support travel for 8 MA members — both outgoing seniors giving one last hurrah and the underclassmen who make up the future of MA.
Additionally, one of our members won a similar scholarship to mine, continuing the legacy of Drexel excellence at TMS. The Drexel team stuck together for the Materials Bowl, with the underclassmen cheering the team on! While the competition tested my materials knowledge — and showed me where I need to study more — the most exciting aspect of the conference was meeting other researchers in my field and having engaging discussions about our research. During the poster session, I even ran into Dr. Babak Anasori (professor at Purdue, but received his PhD from Drexel) and Drexel MSE professor and my mentor, Dr. Yury Gogotsi. As my last undergraduate conference, TMS 2024 was certainly a success and I look forward to what the future will hold!
Living Without Limits
Lisa DiMitri, BS/MS materials science and engineering ’25, and Cailey Ruderman, BS/MS materials science and engineering ’24, are well-traveled conference attendees. Lia and Cailey were also part of a group of Honors College students who attended the WE23 Conference in October 2023 with the Drexel section of the Society of Women Engineers. With funding from Pennoni Honors College, Lia; Cailey; Munazzah Al Hashim, mechanical engineering and mechanics ’25; Abigail Jackson, computer engineering ’24; and Feben Wolde-Semayat, BS/MS chemical engineering and materials science and engineering ’24, joined more than 17,000 women in Los Angeles to network, gain career insights, and learn about innovation in their fields.
"My experience at this conference and career fair was incredibly enriching and transformative,” says Feben. “It has provided me with a wealth of knowledge, networking opportunities and potential career paths, all of
which are invaluable as I prepare to embark on my professional journey. This opportunity means a great deal to me, as it has broadened my horizons, introduced me to a multitude of possibilities, and equipped me with the tools and connections needed to navigate the challenging landscape of the engineering world."
Women were encouraged to "Live Without Limits" and the theme, exemplified by conference programming, says Cailey, “reinvigorated my desire to challenge myself, push boundaries, and reach my full potential. Networking with successful and passionate engineers in my field with a shared identity is an unparalleled experience."
Hearing from the engineers who worked on NASA’s Artemis mission relay their experience of the exact moment the rocket launched, Lia adds, reminded her of why she chose to pursue engineering: passion.
“Sometimes this motivation can be obscured among the plethora of due dates, tests and assignments, but hearing Artemis’s successful launch from the perspective of women who made it happen reminded me that being an engineer means pushing existing bounds and working with a common goal for the advancement of all humanity."
Sessions like "Engineering Your Own Finances," "Brown Girl Magic - Leadership Looks Like Me," and "Women with ADHD in the Workplace," Munazzah acknowledges, educated her on managing and navigating parts of her life such as finances, identity and mental health struggles. “During a lot of these sessions, not only was I able to share a space where I felt like I belonged,” she says, “but I was also provided with tangible resources that I could use to make some of my everyday life processes a lot more feasible."
