With resilience comes positive growth
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MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY
OPINION LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Those who contribute to re-envisioning our research, communications, and meeting efforts also nurture and strengthen our institutions and community.
With resilience comes positive growth Matt Copel 2020 MRS President
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ihope this letter finds you, your families, and your colleagues to be safe and well. As the iworld reacts to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, one thing is certain: adjustments have been necessary. Whether this involves personal changes, such as what times are safe to visit the local grocery store, or professional, and you are now taking remote classes or are working offsite, most of us have made some type of adjustment. Some of our adjustments have been accompanied by great stress, overwhelming us with competing demands, like caring for a family while working from home. Others may be coping with illness in their families, or are ill themselves. We face disappointments of canceled vacations, research projects, and professional travel. For us as researchers, attending scientific conferences are valued opportunities to meet with our friends and colleagues, share research of which we are so proud, and network with our diverse and global community of materials scientists. For early-stage researchers, these in-person meeting and presentation opportunities are even more important, as they have direct impact on their careers and advancement. We may now have to be more creative in these endeavors and I’m eager to see what new prospects emerge. The Materials Research Society (MRS) is making adjustments as well. Earlier this year, MRS leadership took an action unprecedented in the history of the Society, canceling the 2020 MRS Spring Meeting in Phoenix, Ariz. That decision was not made lightly, and I would like to once again thank the Spring Meeting Chairs, Symposium Organizers, volunteers, and Headquarters staff for their two-year commitment of time and talent to plan a robust conference with new and high-quality content. I would also be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the investment our presenters devoted in preparation for the Spring Meeting. But, ultimately, the health and well-being of our members, attendees, staff, and the materials community were of most importance and guided our decision to cancel. The good news is that we are a strong Society and materials community, and more importantly, we are resilient. MRS staff has been working diligently with both Spring and Fall Meeting Chairs and Symposium Organizers, and recently announced a one-time-only joint 2020 MRS Spring and Fall Meeting that will take place in Boston. This will be a really different event for MRS. In fact, it will start a day earlier than usual (Saturday, November 28 through Friday, December 4) because there is so much stuff to pack into that timeframe! Our goal is to include as many of the Spring Meeting oral and poster presentations in this joint meeting as possible. That includes those who may have withdrawn their abstracts from the Spring Meeting based on safety conce
