ASM International, Materials Park, Ohio, announces that the new principal editor of the Metallurgical and Materials Transactions (Met Trans) family of journals will be Dr. Tresa M. Pollock, an internationally recognized leader in the science and technology of advanced structural alloys.
Prof. Pollock is the Alcoa Professor and chair, Department of Materials, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She will begin her editorship on September 1, 2016, and will work alongside current principal editor, Prof. David Laughlin, through the end of 2016, when he steps down from the position. Prof. Laughlin is the Alcoa Professor of Physical Metallurgy at Carnegie Mellon University, and has led Met Trans as principal editor since 1987. Prof. Pollock likewise has had a long association with Met Trans, having served as an associate editor since 1997.
Jointly published by ASM International and TMS, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions was founded as the Metallurgical Transactions journal in 1970, and has since expanded to encompass three highly respected, peer-reviewed archival journals for metallurgy and materials science. Met Trans A is a monthly publication focused on physical metallurgy and materials science. Met Trans B publishes contributions bi-monthly on the theoretical and engineering aspects of the processing of metals and other materials. Launched in 2014, Met Trans E is a quarterly journal exploring the science of materials being investigated or applied to address unique aspects of current and emerging energy technologies.
According to Scott D. Henry, ASM Director of Content and Knowledge Based Solutions, “Tresa Pollock’s leadership in forging the path for twenty-first century materials science and engineering—as well as her long history as associate editor working closely with David Laughlin—makes her the perfect choice to helm the Met Trans journals. We are confident that the sterling quality, reputation, and impact of the journals will continue to grow under her guidance.”
James J. Robinson, TMS Executive Director, commented that Prof. Pollock’s appointment as the new principal editor has “clearly poised Met Trans to go from one Golden Age to another.” Dr. Robinson also praised Dr. Laughlin’s long-time leadership, saying, “Within our science and engineering community, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions has stood, literally for decades, as a pinnacle publishing destination for our field. This is in no small part attributable to the clear and consistent leadership and editorial vision of David Laughlin and the vast team of contributors that he has assembled. The importance of the effort that he has put toward Met Trans cannot be overstated.”
“It is exciting and gratifying that another long-time member of David’s editorial team—Tresa Pollock—will succeed him as editor in chief,” Dr. Robinson continued. “There is no doubt that A, B, and E under Tresa will not just retain, but grow their reputations as capstone publishing destinations.”
Prof. Pollock launched her professional career at GE Aircraft Engines, where she developed advanced superalloys for gas turbine engines. In 1991, she joined the materials science and engineering faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, later moving to the University of Michigan in 2000, where she held the L.H. and F.E. Van Vlack Professorship of Materials Science and Engineering. She joined the Materials Department at UCSB in 2010. Her current interests span mechanical and environmental performance of materials in extreme environments, unique high-temperature materials processing paths, ultrafast laser-material interactions, alloy design, and 3D materials characterization. She received her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Prof. Pollock has organized numerous international meetings and symposia and authored more than 260 publications. She also holds three patents and is a highly sought invited speaker. She is widely regarded as a thought leader on issues of critical importance to the field, and has contributed to an array of national initiatives on these topics. Most notably, Prof. Pollock was chair of the committee that produced the groundbreaking study,”Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME): A Transformational Discipline for Improved Competitiveness and National Security.” The study was released by the National Research Council of the National Academies in 2008. This study initially identified the tremendous potential of ICME in accelerating materials and manufacturing innovation.
Her numerous awards and honors include election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2005, selection as a Fellow of ASM International in 2002, and induction as a TMS Fellow in 2009. She received ASM’s Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers in 1995, and presented the ASM/TMS Distinguished Lecture in Materials and Society in 2013. She was also the 2005 TMS President—the first female to hold that office.
For more information on the Metallurgical and Materials Transactions journals, visit www.asminternational.org/materials-resources/journals. Members of ASM International receive free online access to the journals as a benefit of membership.
About ASM International
As the world’s largest association of materials-centric engineers and scientists, ASM International is dedicated to informing, educating, and connecting the materials community. A member and volunteer based organization, ASM serves as a central resource that gathers the latest applied information from the field and disseminates it back to industry, academia, and government through published content, classes, conferences, expositions, and local chapter engagement. To learn more about ASM International, visit www.asminternational.org.
