MSE Seminar Series

Friday, February 5, 2021 @11:40am
*Remote course - Zoom link will be provided

Beth Dickey, Teddy & Wilton Hawkins Distinguished Professor and Department Head, Materials Science & Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

presents

Impact Through Scientific Research

ABSTRACT:
At the beginning of a new semester, and a new year, let’s step back and consider the role of science and engineering, and in particular MSE, in solving some of the major challenges facing our society and planet. As scientists and engineers, we develop unique abilities to solve problems, innovate, and create. Harnessing those abilities for meaningful impact is one of our greatest imperatives. At the same time, we must think carefully about our professional responsibilities to serve society and to maintain the integrity of our discipline. This seminar is intended to initiate a broader departmental dialogue on professional opportunities and responsibilities, and to stimulate thinking on how to shape a career towards optimal impact. As a new member of the Carnegie Mellon MSE community, I look  forward to learning about and supporting your aspirations. Please join me this Friday, so that we can begin this dialogue and journey.

BIOGRAPHY:
Professor Elizabeth Dickey received her B.S. in Materials Engineering from the University of Kentucky and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern University. Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon in 2021, she was a Distinguished Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University where she also directed the Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics. Earlier in her career, she was a faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University, where she also served as an Associate Director of the Materials Research Institute. Professor Dickey’s research aims to develop processing-structure-property relationships for materials in which the macroscopic physical properties are governed by point defects, grain boundaries or internal interfaces. She is regarded as leader in the application of electron microscopy and spectroscopy techniques to understanding the role of material defects and disorder on the polarization behavior and the coupled electrical/chemical transport in dielectric materials. In addition, she studies defect-mediated properties in ceramic composites and nanomaterials, which are being developed for a variety of energy and structural applications. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles in these areas, which have been cited over twenty-thousand times.