PITTSBURGH, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Materials Research Society (MRS) is
pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Todd Osman as its new Executive
Director effective September 1, 2008. He will succeed John Ballance who is
retiring after 25 years of outstanding service and leadership.
The 2008 MRS President, Cynthia Volkert, speaking on behalf of the Search
Committee and Board of Directors, stated, "We are very excited about Todd and
the leadership role he will play in growing MRS. MRS has a culture and
tradition of innovation and technical excellence and Todd has the vision,
knowledge and drive to move MRS forward. The combination will be extremely
powerful and beneficial to Materials Science and Engineering around the
world."
Dr. Osman brings a strong record of technical accomplishment and
leadership experience in both industrial and non-profit ventures to his new
role at MRS. He was instrumental in the creation of The Pennsylvania
NanoMaterials Commercialization Center, serving as a founding Board member,
co-authoring the Center's Technology Roadmap and chairing the Center's
Technical Advisory Group. As Technical Director for The Minerals, Metals and
Materials Society (TMS), he developed initiatives in energy, environmental
impact, and sustainability, directed educational efforts, coordinated
Web-based communities of practice, facilitated conference programming,
initiated increased grant funding activities, and established
multidisciplinary programs with other technical societies. Prior to joining
TMS, Dr. Osman worked as a researcher and technical manager for the United
States Steel Corporation, where he was responsible for research and
development activities for coated steel products, won awards for his original
research, and was awarded a United States Patent. In addition, he coordinated
cooperative R&D programs with suppliers, customers and universities in Europe
and Asia and led efforts related to federal trade legislation in the U.S. and
Europe, including the drafting of policy responses and initiation of technical
programs.
Dr. Osman emphasized the critical role of MRS. "The scientific community,
and society as a whole, face many critical challenges. But, there is not
consensus on a sustainable energy portfolio, STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics) education initiatives need greater participation
and Omnibus nearly derailed the America Competes Act. Now more than ever, the
MRS mission to improve the global quality of life needs to be a rallying call.
The MRS Bulletin energy roadmap issue, Strange Matter and our focused advocacy
efforts provide a strong foundation as MRS continues to promote scientific and
engineering responses to these challenges."
Dr. Osman received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science
and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and has authored over 25
articles on topics including commercial and social impact of nanomaterials,
materials for nuclear power, computational materials science and engineering,
product development and mechanical metallurgy.
MRS is an international organization of 15,000 materials researchers from
academia, industry, and government and a recognized leader in promoting the
advancement of interdisciplinary materials research to improve the quality of
life. MRS publishes the Journal of Materials Research and the MRS Bulletin and
organizes high quality scientific meetings to facilitate interactions among a
wide range of experts from the cutting edge of the global materials community.
More information about the Materials Research Society can be found on its Web
site, www.mrs.org.
Contact: Anita B. Miller
Tel 724-779-3004, ext. 551
Fax 724-779-8313
amiller@mrs.org
Photo available upon request.
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