In April, ASM International announced its latest affiliate society, the Failure Analysis Society. We recently spoke with Burak Akyuz, the society’s first president, about his hopes and dreams for the new organization.
ASM: What were some of the reasons for establishing ASM’s new Failure Analysis Society (FAS)?
Akyuz: The FAS emerged from an existing ASM committee that has offered failure analysis programming and content for more than 15 years. Committee members decided that a society dedicated to advancing the important role of failure analysis and prevention in the materials science industry would provide more opportunities to its members.
ASM: Please describe the main goals of the new society.
Akyuz: The society aims to promote safer, more reliable products and prevention of failures by studying the many ways in which failures occur and to educate the larger engineering, manufacturing, and user communities regarding their findings. Our founding members have extensive experience and knowledge of failure analysis and prevention and they would love to share this with the industry, including our emerging professionals.
ASM: As the first president, what do you hope to accomplish?
Akyuz: I would like to create a strong foundation for this new organization so we can continue to serve our members and the community for many years to come. We also would like to start “internationalization” of the FAS immediately, so we can become the leading organization in this field within the first few years.
ASM: Can you tell us a little about your background?
Akyuz: I received my Bachelor of Science in metallurgical engineering from Istanbul Technical University. After graduating, I moved to Atlanta and received my master’s degree in information technology from Southern Polytechnic State University. I have been working at Applied Technical Services Inc. in Marietta, Georgia, for 12 years. I am very lucky to work with a company and management team that supports my involvement with the FAS and ASM. My current title is team lead of metallurgy and failure analysis, and my main focus is metallurgical failure analysis using metallography, fractography, mechanical testing, materials characterization, and corrosion analysis, supporting a broad range of industries. I am actively involved in ASM International. I served as the Atlanta Chapter chair for two terms and I am currently Chapter Council for District V. I also served on ASM’s Web Committee and Failure Analysis Committee.
ASM: With regard to membership, what types of people would get the most out of joining the new society?
Akyuz: Anybody who is involved in or has an interest in failure analysis will receive great benefits by joining the society. We need contributions from experienced failure analysts and materials scientists, but I strongly urge emerging professionals and students to join this society as well, especially for the opportunities in training, networking with the best in the field, and to have access to great knowledge.
ASM: Anything else we should know about the society and its first-year initiatives?
Akyuz: We will continue to have our own technical programming at the annual Materials Science & Technology (MS&T) conference. We will have our first annual meeting and a launch party during MS&T’16 in Salt Lake City. The FAS will continue to publish its own journal, the Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention. Our Committees have already started to work on failure analysis courses and the publications.
