Dr. Kenneth Blazek, Principal Research Engineer-ArcelorMittal

Dr. Kenneth E. Blazek is a principal research engineer at ArcelorMittal Global Research and Development Laboratory in East Chicago, IN. He has thirty-seven years’ experience in the steel industry as a research engineer with the majority of his research focused on continuous casting of steel. He has also spent significant time devoted to the following areas: electromagnetic, containment for strip casting, steelmaking, ladle refining, and cold rolled motor lamination product metallurgy and development. The first twelve years of his career were spent at U.S. Steel, and the past twenty-five, he has been with ArcelorMittal (formerly Inland Steel Co., Ispat Inland, and Mittal Steel).

Dr. Blazek has authored more than sixty technical papers, has been granted seven U.S. patents and has received several awards and honors for his work in the steel industry. In 2008, the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST) presented

Dr. Blazek with the first place Hunt-Kelly Outstanding paper Award for his paper, “Calculation of the peritectic Range for Steel Alloys.”

Mr. John E. Barnes, Leader-CSIRO Titanium Technologies

Mr. John E. Barnes is the leader of CSIRO Titanium Technologies in Melbourne, Australia, a position he has held since January 2011. In this role, he leads research teams of scientists and engineers working to expand Australia’s titanium processing industry through development of advanced additive manufacturing technologies and powder production technologies for titanium. Projects support the aerospace industry and the titanium fabrication industry. CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency.

Prior to joining CSIRO, MR. Barnes had extensive experience with the aviation, defense and aerospace industry in the United States including the positions of senior manager of manufacturing exploration and development at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and marine engines product manager at Honeywell International. In his role at Lockheed Martin, he managed research and development projects leading to the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies on the F-22 and F-35 stealth aircraft systems.

Mr. Barnes holds three U.S. patents with two additional patents pending. He has more than twenty-five publications.

Dr. Mary Lee Gambone, Head, Materials Engineering-Rolls Royce

Dr. Mary Lee Gambone joined Rolls Royce North America in Indianapolis in 1998. With over twenty-five years of work in the aerospace materials industry, she is currently head of materials engineering at Rolls Royce, a position she has held since February 2011.  From July 2008 to December 2010 she was chief of research and technology strategy, and from July 2005 to June 2008 she was chief of materials and processes.  She has also served as manager of critical part lifting.

Dr. Gambone’s early career as a materials engineer was with Allison Gas Turbine Division of General Motors, and she enjoyed several years with the US Air Force as team lead for metal matrix composites research in the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials Directorate.

Dr. Gambone is a member of the Indianapolis Chapter of ASM International and will be the keynote speaker at the 2012 National Association for Surface Finishing Manufacturing & Technology Tradeshow & Conference. 

Dr. Gambone is a member of Purdue University’s Materials Engineering Advisory Board and serves on the Materials Engineering Head Search Committee.  During the fall 2011 semester, she gave a presentation on her career to MSE 390, our undergraduate seminar.

In addition to her BS from Purdue in 1982, Dr. Gambone received an MS in materials engineering in 1984 from MIT and a PhD in materials science in 1995 from the University of Virginia.