Also named a Dorothy Pate Enright Professor
On October 2, John Mauro, professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, will be formally inducted as a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He was selected for “developing and applying data-driven models and machine learning that enable high-strength, damage-resistant glasses,” according to the NAE.
Mauro is among the 111 new members and 22 international members elected to the NAE; bringing the total U.S. membership to 2,388 and the number of international members to 310.
“I feel deeply honored to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering,” said Mauro. “I am very grateful to my family, teachers, colleagues, and students for everything they have taught me and for all of their support.”
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding
contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”
Additionally, Mauro has been named a Dorothy Pate Enright Professor. This endowed professorship was established through a gift of $1.33 million from the estate of Dorothy Enright. An endowed professorship is among the highest honors bestowed on a faculty member.
Enright, who earned her master’s degree in ceramic science in 1948 from Penn State, established the professorship to provide supplemental funds to an outstanding faculty member to continue and further their contributions to teaching, research, and service.
“Well deserved honors for Professor Mauro,” said Susan Sinnott, professor and head of the department. “He is a man of incredible talent and a tremendous asset to our MatSE family.” (Susan - sample quote, please make your own)
A career in industry
Before coming to Penn State, Mauro was already a world-recognized expert in fundamental and applied glass science, statistical mechanics, computational and condensed matter physics, thermodynamics, and the topology of disordered networks. He is the co-inventor of three iterations of Corning’s Gorilla Glass, a thin, durable, touch-sensitive, cover glass that has been used in billions of cell phones, tablets, and touch-screen devices worldwide. Mauro developed Gorilla Glass compositions and dozens of other patented products and processes during his 18-year career at Corning.
A lasting impact
When Mauro joined the MatSE faculty in 2017, he was full of excitement about sharing his love and passion for glass with students and colleagues as well as the multitude of research opportunities that would make a difference for the Penn State community and the general public.
“Fostering a student’s love of science can have a multiplying effect,” Mauro said. “By myself, I can only do so much. But working, training, and helping the next generations of scientists and engineers become contributing members of the community that will go on to inspire new people, is a cascading effect with meaning.”
Today, as the chair of Penn State’s Intercollege Graduate Degree Program (IGDP) in Materials Science and Engineering and associate head for graduate education in the department, his enthusiasm extends far beyond glass when he talks to prospective graduate students. Mauro is captivating as he tells the story of the people involved with IGDP who are achieving intellectual excellence, while simultaneously placing a high value on community. It is important to Mauro to continue to foster a very positive, cooperative, and family-like environment within the program.
“Navigating graduate school can be a tumultuous journey, and I consider myself very privileged to be under Dr. Mauro’s tutelage in this regard,” Karan Doss, MatSE Ph.D. candidate. “He provides his students unparalleled academic freedom and taps into his vast knowledge and experience to back you every step of the way.”
Mauro is sure to continue to be a significant contributor in the field of materials science as a researcher, but also as a teacher and mentor to the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Digital publication: Imagine, Summer 2022