Ryan O’Hayre (Colorado School of Mines)
Ryan O’Hayre - Colorado School of Mines
Ryan O’Hayre is an associate professor of metallurgical and materials engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. He received his B.S. (1999) in metallurgical and materials engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, and his M.S. (2001) and Ph.D. (2004) degrees in materials science and engineering from Stanford University.
His research centers on energy materials, emphasizing aspects of electronic and ionic oxides, catalysis, fuel cells, and electrochemistry. O’Hayre has received several young-investigator research and teaching awards including the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE) from the U.S. White House/Army Research Office and the ASM Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers from ASM International. He has been an active member of MRS since his graduate school days, where he worked with a team of students to start Stanford’s MRS University Chapter. He has since served as symposium co-organizer for both MRS and E-MRS meetings, as an MRS Bulletin Volume Organizer in 2009, and as a 2011 MRS Spring Meeting Chair.
Candidate’s Statement
“The Materials Research Society is a dynamic and forward-looking organization. The ever-changing character and continuously evolving mix of symposia at each MRS meeting is an indication of this dynamic. So are the changes to the MRS publications and information delivery modes, including the restyled MRS Bulletin, the amazing ascent and popularity of the MRS360 e-mail/web newsletter, and the recent introduction of MRS Communications. The dynamic and inclusive nature of MRS is what drew me to the organization, and I’m sure this was the case for many of you as well. The willingness to embrace change and innovation has certainly played a key role in the accelerating success and relevance of MRS over recent years.
As we look to the future and ask questions about the role of professional scientific societies in the face of rapid and continuous technological change, it is clear that MRS will likely evolve even more dramatically over the next decade than it has over the past decade. I am running for a spot on the MRS Board of Directors because I am excited to be involved in this process as we position MRS for a bright future and seek to further enhance its utility and relevance to members through innovative programs, online content, career development services, advocacy, and inclusivity.
Here are a few of the areas where I feel MRS has particularly significant opportunities:
Electronic information delivery. Rapid e-mail/web newsletters like MRS360 and the Materials for Energy Blog are widely disseminated to the materials research community with very low overhead and are invaluable tools for helping us all stay connected as a community as well as keep us appraised of recent news and developments in the materials research field. I believe that these information delivery modes will continue to grow in prominence in coming years—which raises important questions about how we should harness them. What new opportunities will these electronic information delivery options present to us in the coming years? Can/should we identify ways to make them more interactive? How can we construct them to best serve our community?
Breadth and inclusivity. As a hallmark of its annual meetings, MRS has actively sought out new areas of materials research—witness the rapid rise of biomaterials in recent decades as well as the emergence of even newer symposia in areas like topological insulators, metamaterials, materials informatics, and inverse design. MRS also provides excellent opportunities for student involvement, recognition, and professional development through its graduate student awards program, student chapter program, and travel grants. As we move forward, how can we continue to enhance the experience for our youngest members or for researchers in materials-related fields that are currently underserved by other venues? How can we enhance the diversity of our membership and provide new opportunities for professional development? What new areas or research communities should we seek out to include and learn from in future MRS activities? How can we best serve our industrial members and their needs and interests at our meeting and in our other membership functions? What role should MRS play in the international scientific community?
I have been involved with MRS since a graduate student and I have always admired the innovative nature of the organization and its management. I have also greatly enjoyed serving MRS as a Bulletin Volume Organizer and as a 2011 MRS Spring Meeting Chair. I ask for your vote so that I have may have the opportunity to continue to serve MRS and each of you as a member of the Board of Directors. I will treat this opportunity seriously and pledge to work with enthusiasm and commitment during my term on the Board to help guide MRS towards ever higher standards of excellence, innovation, and service to the materials science community.”
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