The Richard E. Tressler Lectures in Materials honors the very important work of Professor Richard E. Tressler who was head of Penn State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1991-2001. Read more
2023 Tressler Awards
3:05 to 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, March 30 in 111 Wartik Lab
“Metals Science & Engineering – Materials Lab Intern to Lab Owner”
Walt Moorhead
President, Product Evaluation Systems, Inc.
Abstract
At the start of the spring semester throughout all universities, students start the pursuit of a summer internship in their respective field. We’ve all heard our parents and college advisors stress the importance of obtaining an internship. Some think it’s a great addition for that line item on our resumes which in turn helps land a job upon graduation. I personally think it’s worth a whole lot more and I’ll share with you my journey from intern to owner. Also, I’ll discuss Product Evaluation Systems’ (PES) ongoing effort to make the world safer for all through materials engineering testing.
Biographical Information
Moorhead received a B.S. in Metallurgy from Penn State.
3:05 to 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, April 27 in 111 Wartik Lab
“Materials and Beyond”
Titilayo “Titi” Shodiya, Ph.D.
Program Manager, National Voluntary Lab Accreditation Program at The National Institute of Standards and Technology for Calibration Laboratories
Biographical Information
Titilayo Shodiya, PH.D. is currently the Deputy Quality Manager at The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. In this role, she is responsible for the facilitating the implementation of the NIST Quality Management System at all its locations. This supports NIST’s mission to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology.
Before joining NIST in January 2017, Shodiya was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She started her postdoc in the chemistry department where she worked on epitaxial thin film growth using electrochemistry, funded by the Department of Defense and Dow Chemical. In 2016, she started working at the University of Michigan’s Energy Institute (UMEI) in the Battery Lab as a postdoc/characterization specialist. There, she worked with external industry partners to fabricate and characterize battery cells using with industry-scale devices. Also, she oversaw the characterization facilities as part of her duties.
Shodiya received her bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering with a concentration in electronic and photonic materials and a minor in mathematics from Penn State in 2010. She received a master’s in electrical and computer engineering in 2012 and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and materials science in 2015 from Duke University.
Throughout her career, Shodiya has been an active mentor and started initiatives to encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM degrees and careers. In support of those efforts, she co-hosts the critically acclaimed podcast Dope Labs.
Past Tressler Awardees
2022: Patrick Yoder, M.S.
2022: Robert Petcavich, Ph.D.
2020: Melissa Hockstad, M.S.
2020: Lawrence Hancock, Ph.D.
2019: Maureen L. Mulvihill, Ph.D.
2019: Amit Das, Ph.D.
2017: Dawne Moffatt-Fairbanks, Ph.D.
2016: Tim Hsu
2016: S. Jill Glass
2015: Curtis Johnson
2015: Joseph Monkowski
2015: Darryl Butt, Ph.D.
2013: Delbert E. Day, Ph.D.
2013: David R. Clarke, Ph.D.
2012: Nancy J. McGinnis
2012: Yet-Ming Chiang
2011: Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Ph.D.
2011: L. Eric Cross, Ph.D.
2011: Donald W. Hamer
2010: Ed Kramer, Ph.D.
2010: Naomi J. Halas, Ph.D.
2010: Gerbrand Ceder, Ph.D.
2010: Joseph A. Miller