MRS Joins the Federation of Materials Societies
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Phillips Sees the Continuing Evolution of MRS Since she joined the Materials Research Society over ten years ago, Julia Phillips has seen tremendous changes in MRS and the materials community. Stepping into the role of MRS president for 1995, Phillips anticipates further changes. She sees the executive committee continuing to pull back from day-to-day operations of MRS as the infrastructure and capabilities of MRS Headquarters continue to improve to handle such duties. As MRS staff coordinates the logistics of the technical meetings, publications, and member services, volunteers on council, the various committees, and the executive committee can focus on new challenges and opportunities. Carl Thompson, first vice president, will spearhead the Society's participation in electronic publishing; Robert Hull, second vice president, will concentrate on the Short Course Program; immediate past president John Bravman will deal with issues surrounding governance effectiveness; Kay Hays will work on investment policy matters; and secretary Carl Koch will focus on member needs. An important project on Phillip's agenda is the Society's participation in the Federation of Materials Societies (FMS) (see FMS coverage in next article). Funding for materials research in the U.S. is changing. During the "Cold War," science funding from the federal government was considered an entitlement. Now that the U.S. has entered its post-cold-war stage, Washington is pulling back from this position. Phillips intends to relay the message to Washington that materials research must remain a national priority if the quality of life is to continue to improve. The public affairs committee will determine which materials issues are especially important to MRS, then will work with other materials societies through FMS to provide a voice for materials scientists to policy makers in Washington. With the shift in the U.S. government's interests comes an evolution in job descriptions of MRS members. While some industries are downsizing, others, mostly small businesses, are growing. Along with materials research, materials scientists are entering nontraditional positions such as investment banking or management consulting. Materials researchers are also increasing their involvement with environmental and manufacturing interests. By measuring the pulse of changes in the members' needs, Phillips will keep MRS ahead of the curve. The steps Phillips has taken leading her to materials research began during child50
hood. She became interested in astronomy in elementary school. She was fascinated when a teacher introduced the concept of triangulation in an experiment measuring the size of large rectangles of masking tape on the floor of the school corridor. The teacher then explained how the method could be extended to measure the distances to stars. Phillips majored in physics at the College of William and Mary, intending to pursue a career in astronomy. After considering the implications of such a choice on her lifestyle, she elected instead to perform her PhD t
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