The Distinguished Lecture Series in Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State is comprised of three award lectures including two awards for the Richard E. Tressler Award Lecture in Materials and one award for the David Ford McFarland Award Lecture for Achievement in Metallurgy. The awards are bestowed on Penn State alumni who have honorably distinguished themselves in materials science. Award recipients are invited to the University Park campus each spring to receive their award and present a lecture to the materials community.
Richard E. Tressler Award Lectures
The 2024 Richard E. Tressler Award Lecture in Materials (Tressler Award) was given to two Penn State Alumni this spring. The Tressler Award was named after Richard E. Tressler, who was an international leader in the development of high-temperature materials and served as head of Penn State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1991 to 2001. The award honors Tressler's significant contributions to the field.
The first recipient of the Tressler Award was Robert J. Kumpf, managing director at Deloitte, who delivered his lecture titled “The long history and bright future of applied materials science.”
Kumpf's lecture concentrated on his extensive career experiences. He has more than thirty years of expertise as a chemicals and specialty materials executive, with a focus on innovation leadership, corporate change initiatives, start-up company growth and funding, and open innovation.
At Deloitte Consulting LLP, Kumpf assists clients in the chemicals and specialty materials sector, and broader manufacturing, focusing on strategy, innovation, and leading company transformations.
Kumpf formerly was employed at Bayer MaterialScience, now Covestro. Kumpf held key roles in the company, serving as vice president of plastics technology, vice president of future business in the Americas and chief administrative officer. Previous positions include chief operating officer at Plextronics and chief technology officer at Elevance Renewable Sciences.
Kumpf is active in public, private, and academic partnerships, serving on the boards of the Industrial Research Institute, the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, and the Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center. He currently serves on the Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s External Advisory Board.
Kumpf earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering from Penn State. He also completed the Oxford University business economics program.
The second Tressler Award was presented to Jennifer Lalli, president at NanoSonic Inc., and she delivered her lecture titled “A Penn State polymer chemist’s role in the commercialization of green nanotechnology.”
Lalli’s lecture drew from her extensive career in polymer and materials science and highlighted her journey from receiving her bachelor’s degree at Penn State to earning her doctorate from Virginia Tech to her contributions in developing nanomaterial products, including materials with applications for Mars and green military composites.
Lalli discussed the commercialization of her team’s research and funding sources. She provided insights into topics such as ultra-low glass transition temperature, high-pressure durable composites for hydrogen storage and dispensing systems, and personnel protective equipment that defend against nerve agents, Otto fuel, COVID-19, and influenza.
Also, Lalli, a self-published author who is committed to holistic well-being, touched upon work-life balance—emphasizing the importance of managing professional and personal life.
McFarland Award Lecture
The 2024 David Ford McFarland Award Lecture for Achievement in Metallurgy was presented to Melissa Marshall, vice president of global audit, risk, and controls at Westinghouse Electric Co. She delivered her lecture titled “How MatSE prepared me for a career that I love (outside of MatSE).”
Marshall’s lecture highlighted how her journey as an undergraduate student studying materials science and engineering at Penn State started in one direction, and then took some unexpected turns that led her on the path to become a vice president accountable for the global internal audit, enterprise risk management, and global financial controls programs at Westinghouse.
In her current role, Marshall is responsible for rebuilding and transforming the internal audit team into a strategic business partner. In addition, the enterprise risk management team focuses on promoting a risk-aware culture and increasing enterprise value by facilitating risk-informed decision-making. In 2020, Marshall created the Finance Leadership Development Program (FLDP) to develop leadership skills and build finance and strategic acumen for recent undergraduates beginning their careers at Westinghouse.
Previously at Westinghouse, Marshall was the vice president and chief compliance and risk officer and oversaw global trade compliance and enterprise risk management while building the global ethics and compliance function. Before that, she managed the plant commercial offer process as the director of commercial planning. Her first role at Westinghouse was the manager of the enterprise risk management program, where she developed the program and processes to identify and mitigate large, enterprise-wide risks. Prior to Westinghouse, Marshall was an internal auditor and senior team lead at Alcoa and a consultant at Deloitte Consulting.
Marshall earned her bachelor of science degree with honors in materials science and engineering and a minor in economics from Penn State. She has an MBA from Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School of Business. Also, she earned a graduate certificate in strategic decision and risk management from Stanford University. Marshall is a licensed certified public accountant in Pennsylvania and received her certified internal auditor and qualification in internal audit leadership certifications.
Marshall is an active Penn State volunteer. Since 2016, she has been a member of the External Advisory Board for Schreyer Honors College and was a member of the Schreyer Alumni Society Board from 2010 to 2016. She was honored by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences as a 125th Anniversary Fellow in 2022.
The 2024 David Ford McFarland Award for Achievement in Metallurgy was presented to Marshall during the lecture. The award was established in 1948 by the Penn State Chapter of the American Society for Metals (now ASM International) to honor graduates of Penn State who have honorably distinguished themselves in some field of metallurgy. The award was named in honor of David Ford McFarland—former professor and department head.
Learn more about MatSE Lectures and Awards