Abstract

The Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) was launched by the White House (OSTP) in June of 2011, with the aim of increasing U.S. global competitiveness by significantly accelerating the pace at which advanced materials are discovered, developed, and transitioned into manufactured products. This presentation focuses on the results of 18- month National Academies study evaluating NSF Efforts to Achieve the Nation’s Vision for the Materials Genome Initiative. That NSF program is called Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future, DMREF. This study should be of particular interest to faculty interested in (a) developing new materials to meet the design specifications for advanced engineering systems, and (b) assembling these materials into manufactured products.

NSF has positioned itself as the MGI partner that through DMREF develops the fundamental science, as well as computational and experimental tools for generating and managing data of value to such work. Moreover, through the students that DMREF supports at universities, DMREF produces the intellectual infrastructure/workforce that enables industry and government agencies to develop and deploy materials that address national priorities and societal needs. The study committee has recommended that as DMREF matures, it should increase the engagement of its principal investigators (university faculty) with industry and mission-oriented federal agencies. This will serve to identify key questions and then transition the results of its fundamental science efforts to reach the MGI goal of deploying advanced materials at least twice as fast as possible today and at a fraction of the cost. Some examples of MGI research related to future engineering systems (semiconductor photoelectrodes for water splitting) and for new materials of construction in contemporary engineering systems (airframes) will be presented.

Bio

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Latanision was the Director of The H.H. Uhlig Corrosion Laboratory in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at M.I.T., holding faculty appointments in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Department of Nuclear Engineering. He led the Materials Processing Center at MIT as its Director from 1985 to 1991. He is now an Emeritus Professor at MIT. Dr. Latanision co-chaired the National Academies review of the Materials Genome Initiative, the subject of the seminar talk. Dr. Latanision is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a Fellow of ASM International and of NACE International; and serves as Chief Editor of the NAE’s flagship magazine, The Bridge. From 1983–1988, Dr. Latanision was the first holder of the Shell Distinguished Chair in Materials Science. He was a founder of Altran Materials Engineering Corporation, established in 1992. Dr. Latanision has served in several capacities at Exponent: as Principal and Director of the Mechanics and Materials Practice, Exponent’s largest practice; as Corporate Vice President and, currently, as its first Senior Fellow. In 2023, Dr. Latanision was selected for a 3-year term as Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Professor of Engineering by Purdue University.