ASM International Philadelphia Liberty Bell Chapter Newsletter for Thursday, February 17, 2005 Eisenman Award Night

Chairperson's Message
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Eisenman Award Night

Greetings,

Well, we are off and running here in 2005. Thank you to everyone who was able to attend the January meeting. Once again, the Philadelphia chapter had a good showing for our National Officers night.

We are currently in the midst of our scholarship campaign. If you know of any high school or college students that would be interested or qualify for any of our programs, please forward the information in this newsletter to them. You may even want to post a copy of the scholarships that are available through our chapter where you work.

I am looking forward to our February speaker, our chapter's own Dr. Ron Smith. His presentation should be quite enlightening, covering not only the technical side of things, but the business part behind the business. For anyone who has gone out on their own or considered starting their own business, you will want to be sure to see Ron's presentation.

See you at the February Meeting,

Scott Nyce
Chairperson 2004-05

This Month's Meeting Features...

Dinner Menu: Snapper Soup, Fresh Garden Salad, Roasted Loin of Pork, Oven Browned Red Potatoes, Caesar Peas, and Sweetheart Sundae.

Social Hour -- 6:00-7:00 p.m., Dinner -- 7:00 p.m.

Price -- $23.00, Retirees -- $15.00, Students -- $12.00

Technical Chairperson: Alan Lawley -- Drexel University

Meeting Sponsor: Material Resources International

This Month's Meeting Topic...The Busines of Putting Things Together

Speaker: RONALD SMITH, PH.D., Materials Resources International

Dr. Ronald W. Smith is founder and President of Materials Resources, Inc. and founder and Chief Technology Officer of S-Bond¨ Technologies, LLC. He received his B.S. degree and M.S. degree from Northeastern University (1976) in Mechanical Engineering and his Ph.D. degree from Drexel (1985) in Materials Engineering. Dr. Smith has 30 years of experience in braze and solder joining, surface coating, thermal spray, powder processing and turbine and advanced materials development with over 100 publications. Dr. Smith was employed by the General Electric Company (1976-1987) working at GE Research and Development Center, GE Gas Turbine Division in Schenectady, NY and GE Aircraft Engine Business Group in Lynn, MA. Later Dr. Smith joined Drexel University, where he founded the Center for the Plasma Processing of Materials, a university-based R&D effort in thermal spray coatings. His work at GE and Drexel resulted in three patents and an IR-100 Award for developments in thermal spray coatings. Dr. Smith founded MRi in 1991 and in 1996 he left Drexel University's Center for the Plasma Processing of Materials to lead MRi's braze joining and braze surfacing product developments which has resulted in S-Bond Technologies patents for innovative active solder joining alloys. This technology received an R&D 100 Award in 1998. Dr. Smith is a member and Fellow of ASM International of which he is the founding and immediate Past President of its Thermal Spray Society. Dr. Smith has also been Secretary and on the Board of Directors of the ASM Liberty Bell Chapter and now is Chair of the Fellows Committee.

TOPIC: The Busines of Putting Things Together

Dr. Ronald Smith is the principal in Materials Resources International and S-Bond Technologies, LLC. Dr. Smith will present an entrepreneurial view of the founding and progress that these two companies have made. The talk will also present the materials and bonding technologies inherent in both companies including braze joining, active soldering and wear coating via braze infiltration. These technologies will be highlighted and applications of these technologies will be reviewed. The "entrepreneurial" part of the presentation will center on the presenter's experiences in how one brings a business to life.

Meeting Registration -- Spouses and guests are invited and welcome. This meeting will be held at Williamson Restaurant, Easton Road, Horsham, PA. Reservations are necessary - you may register using our online form, or if you do not have access to the website, or if you have a large group attending, please contact Rob DeKalb at 215-542-7600 to register. Please don't call if you have already reserved via this web site LINK.

Welcome New Members

Rob Boninfante, Boninfante Performance Clutch Parts
Robert S. Drab, Ugine Stainless & Alloys
Daniel Howard, Superior Tube Co.
Thomas Lewis, Sermetech International Inc.

Upcoming Events. . .

2-17-05, Thursday, Eisenman Award Night: The Business of Putting Things Together, Williamson Restaurant, Horsham, PA 6:00 pm

3-17-05, Thursday, Albert Sauveur Night: Materials Technologies & Trends on Boeing Aircraft, Williamson Restaurant, Horsham, PA 6:00 pm

4-5-05 thru 4-7-05, Tues-Thurs, Delaware Valley Science Fairs Fort Washington Expo Center

4-21-05, Thursday, Sustaining Members Night: Quality Systems & Their Application in the Dale Earnhardt Engine Shop, Williamson Restaurant, Horsham, PA 6:00 pm

4-23-05, Saturday, Spring Dinner Dance, Old York Road Country Club 6:00 pm

5-19-05, Thursday, Honors & Past Chairmen Night: Awards & Honors, Williamson Restaurant, Horsham, PA 6:00 pm

Membership Survey Feedback

The Long Range Planning Committee is in the process of analyzing the results of the membership survey from last year. In the coming months, this newsletter will contain comments on this analysis and responses to members' input.

The first four questions were grouped into "Chapter Positioning." Responses were as follows (you could pick two of the 5 to 7 choices offered):

1. I joined ASM to:

    51% - Be part of a Professional Society
    46% - Network
    42% - Gain access to technical information

2. The purpose of the chapter should be to enable members to:

    72% - Network
    53% - Access to training & education
    34% - Help solve problems at work

3. What do I want/need from my local chapter?

    74% - Networking Opportunities
    66% - Monthly Technical Meetings
    56% - Seminars & Workshops

4. What are the most important services offered by my local chapter?

    77% - Monthly Technical Meetings
    61% - Networking Opportunities
    54% - Yearbook & Membership list

The next five questions dealt with communications, and there were 22 comments submitted.

    72 to 76% felt that communication was good and they were well informed
    62% thought communication was interesting
    83% said they would like to continue to receive communication from the chapter

There were a number of comments about late communication or not enough notification of meetings and activities. If you were not already aware of it - your yearbook lists all of the meeting dates for the coming year, the speaker, the subject, and times. One meeting a year - November - has traditionally been held on Wednesday because of scheduling issues with the restaurant. In recent years on several occasions we have moved meetings to the second or fourth week of the month to avoid conflicts with religious holidays. It is good to check your yearbook when it arrives and fill in your calendar. We have been managing to get the newsletters out during the first week of the month. We now have an Upcoming Events list in every newsletter. However, some of our social and educational activities have been scheduled on short notice in recent years. We are making greater use of e-mail to let people know. There were a number of comments in favor of greater use of e-mail but also some comments by people who do not have it. It is hard to keep lists current. Please let ASM International (1-800-336-5152 or use the ASMI website at www.asminternational.org.) know if you change your e-mail. This will permanently update your information. We rely on them for our lists and we often use their website to send broadcast e-mails.

If you would like a copy of the survey results (15 pages), you can e-mail Jim Watters at dvua2@cs.com or call him at 215-699-0690.

Del Val Science Fairs

The Delaware Valley Science Fairs will be held in the Fort Washington Expo Center on April 5-7, 2005. Judges for this event are currently being solicited. Any ASM member who is interested in judging or otherwise assisting should check the DVSF website at www.drexel.edu/dvsf. Several members of the Philadelphia chapter have served as judges in the past and more judges are always needed. Anyone who wants more general information about judging at the science fairs can contact John Janiszewski at 215.641.8849 or jjaniszewski@ltk.com.

Sustaining Member Plaques

Every meeting our chapter is proud to display the number of sustaining members we have. Guest and speakers are always impressed with the amount of industry support we receive. This group of companies are the backbone of the chapter and these plaques are a great way to showcase their support.

If you are a sustaining member & don't have a plaque on our board, or you would like to update a current plaque, please contact Chris Constable at chris.constable@rexheattreat.com or 215-855-1131.

If you would like to reserve preferred space in the yearbook, or for more information including ad options and rates, please contact the Advertising Committee chair, Mike Drakeley at 215-721-1502 ext. 203 or send email.

ASM Scholarship Applications

In the academic year of 2004-2005, the Philadelphia Liberty Bell Chapter will provide three scholarships ($1500.00 each) to college engineering students who intend to pursue a career in Materials Science. All eligible students are encouraged to apply. One full-page essay (single spaced, Arial font, with font size between 10 to 12), stating his/her commitment to the Materials Science profession, will be required. Please contact Dr. Kei-Peng Jen at Villanova University for the application form and details (e-mail: kei-peng.jen@villanova.edu; Tel: 610-519-7311). The deadline for application is March 1, 2005.

C.F. Burns Poster Contest

The Liberty Bell Chapter will be holding its 4th annual poster contest for graduate students during our Sustaining Members Night, 4/21/05. This will be the second year the contest is sponsored by Solar Atmospheres. Prize money will be $500 for 1st Place, $300 for 2nd and $200 for 3rd. Due to limited space, we are asking for students to pre-register this year. Space will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. Please register your name and poster title with Scott Nyce (dsn@solaratm.com). Good Luck to everyone!

High School Essay Contest

Three $100 awards will be given to high school students. To enter the contest, write an essay no more than 500 words on the topic "What is materials engineering? Think about an object you use everyday. How could you use materials engineering to make it better?" Please send type written submissions to Attn: Elizabeth Hoffman, Dept of Materials Science and Engineering, 344 LeBow, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. Applications will be accepted no later than March 1, 2005. Winners will be notified no later than April 30, 2005.

Liberty Bell Chapter Spring Dinner Dance

Plans are moving forward for the Spring Dinner Dance scheduled for April 23rd at 6:00 pm at the Old York Road Country Club. This annual event is always the highlight of our social program for the year. It is an evening of wonderful food and beverages with dancing until late into the evening. Be sure to pencil in April 23rd on your calendar.

Yearbook Advertising Campaign Begins!

The Liberty Bell Chapter advertising committee is putting together the advertisersâ list for the 2005-2006 chapter yearbook. The Liberty Bell yearbook is seen by over 900 materials professionals and companies in the Delaware Valley and South Jersey. And, it has been consistently recognized by ASM International as one of the top chapter publications worldwide. Professionally put together and printed, the Liberty Bell yearbook provides a focused method of getting your company's products and services in front of the people who use them!

If you would like to reserve preferred space in the yearbook, or for more information including ad options and rates, please contact the Advertising Committee chair, Mike Drakeley at 215-721-1502 ext. 203 or mjd@solaratm.com.

Support Your Local Chapter

by advertising in the 2004-2005 Liberty Bell Chapter Yearbook. Please contact Mike Drakeley at 215-721-1502 x 213 or mjd@solaratm.com to reserve your space..

Changes To Your Membership Information

Any Chapter Member who needs to make a change to their membership listing or to their company affiliation listing must call Membership Service, ASM International at 1-800-336-5152 or use the ASM website at www.asminternational.org. This will permanently update your information.

We depend on ASM International to receive our updated mailing list for this newsletter. So please do not sent information to the return address on this newsletter.

Meeting Cancellation Notification

In the event of cancellation of a meeting due to inclement weather, we will broadcast the news as part of KYW News radio's (1060AM) Storm Center Service. ASM cancellations will be specifically announced when KYW airs community cancellations at :20 and :50 past each hour during the afternoon of the day of the meeting. ASM's name will be specifically mentioned, so listen for the name rather than an organization number as is used for schools.

Do you have news...

that should be shared with the other members of the "Liberty Bell" Chapter? If so, please email your info to Anna Whitehead at aj.whitehead@att.net. Be sure to add the phrase "Item to add to the ASM Chapter newsletter" in the subject line. We'll be sure to include it in the next monthly Chapter newsletter.

For more info about the ASM Liberty Bell Chapter. . .

Contact Chapter Chairperson Scott Nyce at 215-721-1502 x 219 or email: dsn@solaratm.com.

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