U.Va graduate students net four top spots at NACE International Corrosion 2016 conference

This March, CORROSION 2016 conference was held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The world’s largest corrosion conference and exposition, CORROSION offers students the opportunity to enter posters in one of three categories: (1) the Marcel Pourbaix category for the field of corrosion science; (2) the Mars Fontana category for the field of corrosion engineering; and (3) the Harvey Herro category for the field of applied corrosion technology. U.Va students won 4 of the possible 9 awards given in three categories.

Marybeth Parker - 2nd place, Harvey Herro
Noelle Co - 1st place Marcel Pourbaix Category (Corrosion Science)
RJ Santucci - 2nd place Marcel Pourbaix

Piyush Khullar - 1st place, Harvey Herro Category (Corrosion Technology)

Regarding all the U.Va student poster presentations Rob Kelly remarked, "I cannot count the number of positive remarks I heard about each one."

NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, serves nearly 36,000+ members in 130 countries and is recognized globally as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions. - See more at: http://www.nace.org/About-NACE/#sthash.yYRfWhMD.dpuf

NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, serves nearly 36,000+ members in 130 countries and is recognized globally as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions. - See more at: http://www.nace.org/About-NACE/#sthash.yYRfWhMD.dpuf

NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, serves nearly 36,000+ members in 130 countries and is recognized globally as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions. - See more at: http://www.nace.org/About-NACE/#sthash.yYRfWhMD.dpuf

NACE International, The Worldwide Corrosion Authority, serves nearly 36,000+ members in 130 countries and is recognized globally as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions. - See more at: http://www.nace.org/About-NACE/#sthash.yYRfWhMD.dpuf

Corrosion the culprit: key papers on water crisis in Flint, MI made publicly accessible

John Scully, Technical Editor in Chief of the journal CORROSION,  recently published a special editorial section covering the centrality of corrosion in Flint's water crisis. Additionally, in his capacity as technical editor, he choose to make public via open access the full texts (see below) of many of key scientific papers, including several of Marc Edwards, professor at Va Tech. Well known within the field, the articles detail the technical understanding regarding galvanic coupling of copper and lead, the leachability of lead into water, and the corrosion factors needed to mitigate and passivate lead.  

In addition to a broad overview of the science, Scully's editorial also offers some context on lessons to be learned from this tragedy, one common when "corrosion immunity is often tragically assumed."

Alumni Chip Blankenship elected NAE

The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) announced today that it has elected UVA Engineering alumnus Charles P. “Chip” Blankenship, Jr., as an academy member, among the most prestigious and important professional distinctions for an engineer. Election to membership is among the highest professional honors accorded an engineer.

Blankenship is president and chief executive officer of GE Appliances & Lighting. He joined GE in 1992 after earning his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science. Blankenship has remained a strong supporter of U.Va. Engineering; in 2012, he and his wife established the Belinda and Chip Blankenship Scholarship Fund benefiting Materials Science and Engineering students.

“This is truly an honor,” Blankenship said. “I am grateful to the U.Va School of Engineering graduate program and the Materials Science and Engineering Department for the fine experience. I had great professors as mentors, and their expectations on performance were very high. I appreciate all that my U.Va experience has done for me and my career.”

Blankenship is among 80 new members and 22 new foreign members. The academy’s total U.S. membership is 2,275, and the number of foreign members is 232.

In its announcement, the academy cited Blankenship’s contributions to the incorporation of new technology in consumer products and aircraft engines.

“Chip Blankenship is an outstanding engineering leader and strong supporter of the next generation of engineers,” said U.Va. Engineering Dean Craig Benson, who also is a member of the academy. “He is a credit to the academy, to U.Va., and to the School of Engineering.”

According to the academy’s announcement, membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/ implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

James Burns recieves Air Force (YIP) Young Investigators Research Program Award

According to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the YIP awards intend "to foster creative basic research in science and engineering, enhance early career development of outstanding young investigators, and increase opportunities for the young investigators to recognize the Air Force mission and the related challenges in science and engineering." The awards program is competitive. The Air Force received more than 265 applications this year. Burns was among 55 scientists and engineers to receive a total of $20.6 million in grants from the program.
  

The Burns Research Group researches at the intersection of metallurgy, solid mechanics and chemistry. The area of professor Burn's work which garnered the award is focused is fatigue of aerospace aluminum alloys, specifically the effect of high altitude environments on the dislocation structure evolution during fatigue cracking.