Fall 2019 UF Department of Materials Science & Engineering Newsletter, The Rhines Report

U F D E PA R T M E N T O F M AT E R I A L S S C I E N C E & E N G I N E E R I N G

THE RHINES REPORT FA LL 2019

BUILDING THE BEST

WITH A GROWING FACULTY OF THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST LEADING THE WAY, THE DEPARTMENT OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING CONTINUES ITS RISE TO THE TOP

CHAI R’S M ESSAGE

B

uilding something great takes time, effort, patience and dedication, and in the twelve months since our last Rhines Report the Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) has shown no signs of slowing down.

Both graduate programs remain as strong as ever. Among public institutions, our Nuclear Engineering (NE) Program maintained its hold on the No. 14 ranking and MSE vaulted to No. 8 in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report. The eight newest MSE and NE faculty joining the department in 2019 make 16 new hires in the last three years, and our 39 total faculty now makes us one of the largest MSE departments in the country.

Andreas Enqvist, Ph.D. was recently appointed NE Program Director and is excited to continue building on the revitalization initiative spearheaded by his predecessor Jim Baciak, Ph.D., particularly when it comes to increased enrollment and visibility. Another addition to the NE faculty is Donald Wall, Ph.D., who joined us from Washington State University as a Professor of Practice and will also serve as the new Director of the UF Training Reactor.

Student Research Program awardee and a National Institute of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award recipient! A special recognition goes out to the UF Bladesmithing team for receiving the Grand Prize at the TMS Annual Meeting this year, which you can read more about on page six.

Congratulations to them and to all of our students for consistently showing the world the power of Gator Engineering!

Spring 2020’s arrival brings with it the completion of both the new Herbert Wertheim Laboratory for Engineering Excellence and one of the most advanced electron microscopy suites in the entire country at UF’s Nanoscale Research Facility (pg.

13).

The future of our department is bright and our mission is clear. With a 60-year foundation of excellence in place, we’re not just building great materials science and nuclear engineering programs here at the University of Florida – we’re building the best.

We have a vibrant, growing NE Program tackling exciting new opportunities and challenges and engaging all aspects of Nuclear Engineering including radiochemistry and fusion, so keep an eye out for more stories about what’s happening in and around our NE labs, classrooms and facilities.

As always, we are particularly proud of our students’ achievements. This year we had five National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program recipients, a NASA Graduate

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UF IS NUMBER 7 AMONG PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES 2

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

2020

Michele V. Manuel, Ph.D.

CHAIR D E PA R TM E N T O F M AT E R I A L S SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

INSIDE

FALL 2019 SEC FACULTY AWARD....... 4

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UF ON THE RISE................ 5 STUDENT SPOTLIGHT....... 6 NEW FACULTY.................. 8 RECOGNITION .. ............... 10 NUCLEAR SPOTLIGHT...... 11

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RESEARCH.. ................ 12-13 ALUMNI..................... 14-15

Cammy R. Abernathy, Ph.D. DEAN, HERBERT WERTHEIM COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Michele V. Manuel, Ph.D. CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF M AT E R I A L S S C I E N C E &

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ENGINEERING

John Mecholsky, Jr., Ph.D.

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A S S O C I AT E C H A I R , D E PA R T M E N T O F M AT E R I A L S SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Andreas Enqvist, Ph.D. NUCLEAR ENGINEERING PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Royce Copeland, MA M S E M A R K E T I N G & CO M M U N I C AT I O N S , EDITOR AND DESIGNER

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F E AT U R E

KEVIN JONES, PH.D. HONORED WITH

SEC FACULTY AWARD

Kevin Jones, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor and Frederick N. Rhines Professor of Materials Science & Engineering Kevin Jones, Distinguished Professor and the Frederick N. Rhines Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, received the 2019 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award.

Now in its eighth year, the honor recognizes one tenured, full professor faculty member from each of the 14 Southeastern Conference universities with a history of outstanding teaching combined with a nationally and/or internationally recognized research record. Jones was the recognized recipient from the University of Florida.

“I was thrilled to be selected for this award. There are so many great teachers at UF so it’s a tremendous honor to represent the University,” Jones said. “From having grown up selling sodas at Gator football games when I was 10 to receiving my undergraduate degree here, I have always been a huge Gator fan but I never 4

thought I would have the honor of representing UF at anything in the Southeastern Conference. So, this acknowledgement from the SEC is particularly wonderful.”

his 2018 UF Teacher-Scholar Award places him among the best of the best higher education has to offer and we are fortunate to have him as part of the UF family.”

Jones was also named UF’s 20172018 Teacher-Scholar of the Year, the oldest and highest honor awarded by the University.

Jones’ own research focuses on semiconductors and he is a fellow of many societies, but sharing his materials science knowledge with

“ I H AV E A L WAY S B E L I E V E D T H AT T E A C H I N G I S T H E G R E AT E S T J O B O N E C O U L D H AV E S O I T R Y T O B R I N G T H AT L E V E L O F E N T H U S I A S M T O T H E C L A S S R O O M E V E R Y D AY.” Dr. Kevin Jones

“Dr. Jones’ tireless commitment to his students, his research, and our department as a whole has proven invaluable to both the University of Florida and to the larger world around us,” said Michele Manuel, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering.

“Receiving the 2019 SEC Faculty Achievement Award on the heels of

incoming engineering and liberal arts students through his class “The Impact of Materials on Society” (IMOS), taught in collaboration with the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is what truly gets him excited.

“I really enjoy not only introducing materials science to such a

F E AT U R E

wide array of students, but also hearing the liberal arts faculty talk about materials from their own viewpoints,” Jones said. “Materials science is everything we use from metals to plastics and they have had a tremendous impact on how we have evolved as a society, so there is a natural connection that is fun to explore.”

The goal of the IMOS course is twofold: help prospective engineers become more socially aware, and also help liberal arts students get a better understanding of engineering concepts. It enjoyed such an enthusiastic response at UF campus that the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense have helped spread it not only around the United States, but also into Central and South America and Africa.

“I have always believed that teaching is the greatest job one could have so I try to bring that level of enthusiasm to the classroom every day,” said Jones. “I look forward to continuing to do so for years to come and trying to live up to the SEC tradition of having the best teachers in the country.”

The SEC Faculty Achievement Award winners are selected by the member university provosts, and the recognition was designed by the conference to support and promote the academic endeavors and achievements of its students, faculty and administrators. Jones also receives a $5,000 honorarium from the SEC.

UF ON THE RISE

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BEST PUBLIC MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING GRADUATE PROGRAM 2020 U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

BEST PUBLIC NUCLEAR ENGINEERING GRADUATE PROGRAM 2020 U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

The UF Department of Materials Science & Engineering’s graduate program climbed two spots to No. 8, from its previous No. 10, according to the 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools Ranking. Additionally, the Nuclear Engineering graduate program housed within the Department, maintained its No. 14 ranking among public universities in the nation.

U.S. News & World Report determines the top graduate schools through a combination of objective measures including placement success, student selectivity and an industry-wide reputational assessment.

“As the department enters its 60th year, to be recognized as one of the top ten programs in the country is truly a testament to the talent, dedication, and work of everyone involved here at UF. And that’s something we’re determined to carry on well into the future,” said Michele Manuel, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering.

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STUDENT STUDENTS

STUDENTS

UF Brings Home Bladesmithing Grand Prize from TMS 2019 TEAM HOUSE OF RHINES WINS WITH THEIR S W O R D D U B B E D “ D E C A P I G AT O R ”

First row: Mikki Von Schaumburg, Karina Pilo-Ricci, Alex Aviles, Nadine Ulmer, Chris Nacea Second row: Stephon Dean, Nicole Trometer, Michelle Thackeray (Team Captain), Caroline Kelly (Team Captain), Emily Huntley, Evyatar Hashmonay, Jonah Hopton Third row: Brandon Capellini, Connor Jenkins, Devin Ritter Not Pictured: Jacob Gusewelle, Jakub Pepas, Natalie Starr, Troy Stringfellow, Jordan Borstelmann* (non-student artisan/blacksmith)

UF’s Department of Materials Science & Engineering student team brought the TMS 2019 Grand Prize home from San Antonio, Texas, receiving the TMS-Wadsworth-Sherby Bladesmithing Grand Prize Medal and a $2,000 cash prize in recognition of their entry “Decapigator.”

The biennial competition challenges student teams from around the world to produce a knife or sword blade by traditional blacksmithing techniques, while also demonstrating their understanding of the science underlying the process.

Over 30 teams participated in San Antonio this year, with all entries judged by a panel of materials and industry experts. Scoring was based on a number of criteria including blade quality and aesthetics, a video depicting the team’s production process, a detailed blade characterization report and a display poster.

From concept to planning to execution, the students’ work spanned nearly a year, including

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exhaustive research and multiple trips to the forge. Michelle Thackeray, the captain for the team alongside Caroline Kelly, said winning the competition validated all of the effort. “The entire experience was worth it, and I’m so glad I was a part of it,” she said.

Both Michelle and teammate Chris Nacea heard about the competition two years ago as sophomores. With metals being his primary interest, getting involved in this year’s event was an easy decision for Chris. “I wanted to learn more about metals in a practical environment, and work more with my hands – on top of what I have done in my lab courses,” Chris said.

According to the TMS2019 website, the bladesmithing program makes such concepts as heat transfer, coke combustion, forging, welding, and quenching come to life for university students majoring in a minerals, metals or materials discipline.

Congratulations to all of the students on the 2019 MSE Bladesmithing team.

T LIFE

STUDENTS

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NEW FAC FA C U LT Y

NEW FACULTY

BUILDING THE BEST

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Megan Butala

Tori Miller

Chris McDevitt

A S S I S TA N T P R O F E S S O R

A S S I S TA N T P R O F E S S O R

A S S O C I AT E P R O F E S S O R

Energy Storage Materials, Lithium-ion Batteries, X-ray Diffraction, Pair Distribution Function Analysis, StructureProperty Relationships

Structural Evolution in Crystalline Materials, Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques, Deformation Mechanisms

Computational and Theoretical Plasma Physics, Momentum Transport, Runaway Electrons, Monte Carlo Methods

Fall 2019

Fall 2019

Fall 2019

CULTY

FA C U LT Y

The UF Department of Materials Science & Engineering, which is also home to the Nuclear Engineering Program, recently welcomed six new faculty members. The Department has hired 16 new faculty since 2016, increasing the size of the department by nearly 50%.

Ryan Need

Donald Wall

Nathalie Wall

A S S I S TA N T P R O F E S S O R

P R O F E S S O R O F P R AC T I C E

PROFESSOR

Thin Film Deposition, Interface and Defect Engineering, Emergent Phenomenon, Quantum Materials, Nanoionics

Director of UF Training Rector, Regulatory Compliance, Nuclear Facility Radiation Safety and Security

Radiochemistry, Nuclear Wastes, Nuclear Forensics, Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Environmental Behavior of Radionuclides

Spring 2020

Spring 2020

Fall 2019

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FACULTY FA C U LT Y

ACCOLADES

Awards & Recognition

New Professorships

Bahar Basim - 2018

■■ Josephine Allen - University of Florida Term

Defense Innovation Summit TechConnect Innovation Award

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Andreas Enqvist - 2018-

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2019 Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award

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Kevin Jones - 2019 SEC Faculty

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Achievement Award; North American Education Symposium (NAMES) Award for Outstanding Contributions to Materials Education

John J. Mecholsky 2019 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award

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Professor Jenny Andrew - University of Florida Term Professor; Margaret A. Ross Professor of Materials Science & Engineering Andreas Enqvist - University of Florida Term Professor Laurie Gower - University of Florida Term Professor Richard Hennig - Alumni Professor of Materials Science & Engineering Kevin Jones - University of Florida Term Professor Simon Phillpot - Vladimir A. Grodsky Professor of Materials Science Yong Yang - University of Florida Term Professor

Tenure and Promotions 2019 ■■ James Baciak - From Associate Professor to

Donald Wall - appointed as Radiation Advisory Committee member for the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Professor ■■ Andreas Enqvist - From Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with Tenure ■■ Nancy Ruzycki - From Lecturer to Senior Lecturer

DR. TONY BRENNAN RETIRES Anthony Brennan, Ph.D. presented his final seminar to students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and family of the department on September 24, 2019 in the Reitz Union, Room 2355. After nearly 29 years, Dr. Brennan officially retired on August 15, 2019. He leaves behind a remarkable career in both teaching and research, including over a dozen patents and numerous innovations - most notably Sharklet, a product designed to impede bacterial growth on surfaces and based on the texture of a shark’s skin. We sincerely wish Dr. Brennan the best for his retirement.

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Defense Threat Reduction Agency FA C U LT Y

YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD WINNER

J O I N U S I N W E L C O M I N G T H E N E W M S E A N D N E FA C U LT Y

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF NUCLEAR FORENSICS Radio Frequency (RF) waves are everywhere, from deep underground to deep outer space.

However, Kyle Hartig, Ph.D. the RF waves ASSISTANT caused by PROFESSOR a nuclear explosion particularly intrigue Department of Materials Science and Engineering Assistant Professor Kyle C. Hartig, Ph.D. His research has been recognized by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) with a Young Investigator Award to further his research.

Each year the DTRA selects engineering and science-based researchers for the Young Investigator Awards whose work it designates as showing promise in its ongoing mission to counter the development and use of weapons of mass destruction.

Kyle C. Hartig earned his Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University, and joined the Nuclear Engineering Program within the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Florida in 2017. His primary research interests include remote sensing, nuclear non-

proliferation/counter-proliferation, nuclear security, and nuclear policy.

“The generation of nuclear-forensicsrelevant information, such as device yield and prominence, is vital to the attribution and emergency response process following a detonation event.

This work aims to provide prompt nuclear forensics information through fundamental understanding of the RF emission generation process in fireballs and their propagation in urban environments,” Dr. Hartig said.

“As an expert in nuclear forensics, Dr. Hartig has an extensive background working with numerous agencies, laboratories, and universities,” said Michele Manuel, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. “This award exemplifies his research excellence and illustrates UF’s expertise in novel techniques that can be used to characterize nuclear and conventional weapons detonations, an important component of national security.”

For Hartig’s research team, one of the biggest advantages of working in the Nuclear Engineering Program at the University of Florida is their ready access to its advanced, ultra-fast laser and spectroscopic facilities located in the Department of Material Science & Engineering.

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FA C U LT Y

RESEARCH

STARTING EARLY:

Better Training for STEM Teachers and Students Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects are taught to Florida students as early as elementary school, but more teachers and more rigorous training are needed if we are to support the state’s continuous bid to become a reputable hightech economy that relies on an exemplary high-tech work force.

Nancy Ruzycki, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Laboratories at the UF Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering’s Department of

Materials Science & Engineering, is addressing this gap with a $5 million “Supporting Effective Educator Development” (SEED) grant awarded to her by the U.S. Department of Education.

With the participation of 11 school districts in Florida and members of the Florida High Tech Corridor, as well as the involvement of other UF departments and colleges, she will lead the effort to improve the pedagogy of STEM learning among K-9 students.

Nancy Ruzycki, Ph.D. SENIOR LECTURER

The project, “Engaged Quality Instruction through Professional Development” (EQuIPD) will involve 11 urban to rural counties which account for over 30% of elementary schools on Florida’s lowest 300 list and contain 12 schools listed as persistently underperforming (FLDOE, 2017).

Mission to Space: ACCOMPLISHED

Josephine Allen, Ph.D. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Genzyme Associate Professor of Materials Science & Engineering After nearly two years of preparation and a few scrubbed launches, Josephine Allen, Ph.D. 12

has sent vascular cells into space as part of her research with NASA and CASIS, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.

and the link to cardiovascular disease was originally slated to launch in November 2018 on SpaceX mission CRS-16.

“There are no words to describe this day. The cells we isolated, grew, analyzed and prepared are now orbiting in space,” Allen tweeted shortly after SpaceX CRS-17 lifted off in the early morning hours of May 4, bound for the International Space Station.

“The key to successfully sending an experiment to space is to be prepared for these delays with several back-up and contingency plans,” said Allen. “But we are thrilled to have an opportunity to advance science and better understand human health in space.

This day will go down as one of the best in my career — a career high!”

Allen’s experiment studying the effects of space on vascular cells

RESEARCH New Electron Microscopes Keep UF on the Leading Edge

RESE ARCH SPOTLIGHT

A M A J O R A C Q U I S I T I O N W I L L B R I N G T H E F I R S T A B E R R AT I O N CORRECTED TR ANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE TO CAMPUS The University of Florida’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering continues to distinguish itself as one of the top research facilities in the nation with the addition of three state-of-the-art, highresolution electron microscopes.

“We’re incredibly excited to be a part of this partnership with the Research Services Center and Thermo Fisher Scientific,” said Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) Chair Michele Manuel, Ph.D. “Other universities have similar equipment, but none can claim the latest, most complete suite of electron

Helios G4

microscopes and most diverse materials characterization research instruments available - and all in one facility.”

The microscopes will be a part of UF’s Research Service Centers, which provide support and enhance the research, education and public service missions of the University of Florida by providing access to characterization and process instrumentation and facilities.

With expert staff on hand to provide assistance and guidance, the students, faculty and industry researchers who use these facilities are ensured the most effective and

appropriate use of the center’s capabilities.

All of the equipment is scheduled to be installed over the next few months, with final completion expected in Spring of 2020.

Announcements on utilization, service and training will be sent to the UF research community upon achieving the installation milestones necessary to start accepting users.

For more information contact Luisa Amelia Dempere, Ph.D. at: ademp@eng.ufl.edu.

What’s Coming to UF? The Helios G4 Plasma Focused Ion Beam CXe Workstation is a fourth generation, fully digital, Extreme High Resolution Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE SEM) equipped with an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) focused ion beam (PFIB).

The Talos F200i S/TEM is a flexible and compact 200 kV FEG Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (S/TEM), which is designed for fast, precise and quantitative characterization of nanomaterials.

Talos F200i

And finally, the 300 kV Themis Z is a FEG Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (S/TEM) with a high-tension voltage range of 60-300 kV.

Themis Z 13

ALUMNI ALUM N I SPOTLIGHT

ALUMNI

The Value of Kindness

The recognition ceremony for Master’s, Specialist’s, and Doctoral degrees for the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering took place Monday, May 6, 2019 at 9 a.m. in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

The guest speaker was Khalid “Kal” Mentak (M.S. ’92, Ph.D. ’93: Materials Science & Engineering).

Mentak is a serial entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist. He studied quantum physics and advanced mathematics and selected materials sciences and biomedical engineering as his engineering specialties.

Mentak spoke about how kindness changed his career and became the basis of his success.

He came to UF as a young man straight from the small country of Morocco.

“Imagine . . . arriving at a place filled with flying tacos, Mr. TwoBits, real live alligators and a picturesque campus,” he said.

Originally Mentak planned to adapt seamlessly into his new surroundings, but with a lack of fluency in English and the many cultural differences between Morocco and the U.S., he experienced great difficulties and 14

K H A L I D M E N TA K , P H . D . , S P O K E A B O U T T H E VA L U E O F K I N D N E S S AT T H E 2 0 1 9 S P R I N G E N G I N E E R I N G G R A D U AT E D E G R E E R E C O G N I T I O N C E R E M O N Y faced numerous rejections.

Mentak arrived, nervous and dejected, at his last interview for entrance into the doctoral program. Then, Eugene Goldberg, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, changed his college career and his life forever.

“His first goal was to put me at ease so I could be the best version of myself rather than the shy, nauseous, nervous young man from a foreign country.” On that day, Mentak found that kindness and building others up was the key to being a great engineer and a great man.

Mentak has dedicated his professional career to helping prevent and cure blindness, and he holds 27 patents in the healthcare field. He is the inventor of the most advanced polymer for

intraocular lenses currently sold

by Bausch & Lomb and Santen.

Mentak has also provided grants to support academic scientific research, and he is actively involved in humanitarian efforts in Morocco and other African countries. He received UF’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2007.

After speaking about the many wonderful things the students would go on to build during their careers, Mentak closed his speech by asking students to always take time to build up people. “Graduates of the class of 2019, build others first, not because you have to, but because you can. Because, you are not simply engineers. “You are Gator engineers, and this special brand of greatness, of building others first, is what we do,” he said.

ALUMNI ALUMNI

ALUM N I SP OTLIGHT

A Persistent Pursuit of Progress

F R O M T H E I S L A N D O F C U B A T O T H E H A L L S O F WA S H I N G T O N , D . C . , N I L S D I A Z , P H . D . , H A S M A D E A H A B I T O F A LWAY S L O O K I N G A H E A D T O W H AT ’ S N E X T Growing up in 1950’s Cuba, Nils Diaz, Ph.D. had a passion for creating better ways of doing things. He was also debating between a future in engineering, like his father before him, or following the lead of much of his family and practicing medicine. When he decided he could do both, Cuba’s worsening political unrest closed the University of Havana, the country’s only medical school. The remaining major university functioning on the island, the University of Villanova in Havana, specialized in engineering. With the choice between the two fields seemingly made for him, five years later he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

After fleeing Cuba’s political unrest, Diaz and his young family soon found themselves in Gainesville, Fla. Although he had steady work as an engineer specializing in plant design, Diaz was looking for his next step. Soon, one of his former professors told him about the recently established nuclear engineering program at the University of Florida.

“It’s the place to be for the future of nuclear sciences,” Diaz remembers him saying. When UF Nuclear Sciences Professor Dr. Rafael Perez offered him a spot in the program, Diaz quit his job and enrolled in September 1962. With that decision, Diaz began a 30 year career as both student and faculty of the program, establishing a lasting connection with UF that continues to this day.

“We were a very close-knit group. Everyone learned from each other, and we were all excited about coming together and creating a national center for nuclear engineering. Back then everyone was at

the UF Training Reactor (UFTR) building all the time, and we basically lived in the lobby of the nuclear reactor and radiochemistry lab, later attached to the Nuclear Sciences Center,” he said. On January 1, 1966, Diaz became a junior faculty member - three years before earning his Ph.D. After graduation, Diaz put his Nuclear Engineering Sciences Ph.D. to work. His skills and interests allowed him to make the leap into the nuclear industry as a consultant and into the medical field as an Associate Professor of Medicine, specializing in cutting edge nuclear imaging techniques at both Shands and Gainesville’s Veteran’s Administration hospital. It was that type of in-the-field experience and knowledge Diaz would continue to bring back to UF throughout his three decades as a professor.

“I felt that to be the best I could be, I needed to periodically spend time outside the classroom and in the mix,” said Diaz. “Taking the opportunity to learn and stay current with the industry kept my teaching and research fresh and up-to-date.”

Over the years, Diaz’s persistent pursuit of progress and growth in both himself and his chosen professions have taken him coast to coast and around the world, from engineering student to professor to Dean of Research, from private industry and foreign government consultant to Florida’s Energy and Climate Commissioner, Director of the Nuclear Institute for the Strategic Defense Initiative and Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission - establishing domestic and international policy and regulatory practices still in practice today.

“It’s been a fun trip. I wouldn’t change my career for anything,” said Diaz.

For the full story, visit mse.ufl.edu.

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D E PA R T M E N T O F M AT E R I A L S SCIENCE & ENGINEERING P. O . B O X 1 1 6 4 0 0 G A I N E S V I L L E , F L 3 2 611- 61 31 MSE.UFL.EDU

Join us at the following conferences:

AMERICAN NUCLEAR SOCIETY ALUMNI AND FRIENDS SOCIAL November 18, 2019 • Washington, DC

THE MINERALS, METALS & MATERIALS SOCIETY ALUMNI AND FRIENDS SOCIAL February 24, 2020 • San Diego, CA

MSE.UFL @UFMSE @UFMSE