Two senior faculty members in the Department of Material Science and Engineering were recently named to endowed professorships.
Samuel M. Allen, internationally recognized for his work in physical metallurgy and materials science, has been named the POSCO Professor of Physical Metallurgy. The chair was endowed in 1987 by a gift from Pohang Iron and Steel Corp. in Korea (POSCO), the world's largest steel maker.
Dr. Allen received the BE degree from Stevens Institute of Technology (1970) and the SM and PhD from MIT (1971 and 1975). He stayed on at MIT as an instructor and research associate and was named an assistant professor in 1979, associate professor in 1983 and full professor in 1992. He currently serves as secretary of the MIT faculty.
"My colleagues, MIT staff and students deserve credit for their contributions to my successes. The additional flexibility provided by the POSCO Professorship will augment my research in physical metallurgy, and help support my co-authorship of a graduate textbook on kinetics," said Professor Allen.
Professor Allen commands deep respect from leading scientists in the field for his work on phase equilibria and transformations, and phase boundary motion. His work includes the physical metallurgy of high-strength steels and high temperature alloys, including intermetallic compounds. He recently co-authored, with Professor Edwin Thomas, The Structure of Materials, an undergraduate textbook published by John Wiley & Sons.
"Professor Allen is the consummate scholar, excelling in all aspects of teaching, research and service to the MIT community. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this honor," said Professor Thomas W. Eagar, department head.
Donald R. Sadoway, who has been named the John F. Elliott Professor in Metallurgy, conducts research aimed at exploiting electrochemical phenomena in settings ranging from the extraction of aluminum to rechargeable lithium polymer batteries. The Elliott chair, named for a former MIT faculty member who was a renowned leader in process metallurgy, was endowed with resources resulting from MIT's founding of American Superconductor Corp.
Professor Sadoway received the BASc (1972), MASc (1973) and PhD (1977) from the University of Toronto. He came to MIT as a NATO postdoctoral fellow in 1977 and joined the faculty in 1978 as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 1982, and became a full professor in 1992.
"By enabling me to expand my research on environmentally sound metals extraction, the John Elliott chair both honors the memory of one of the giants in chemical metallurgy and enriches the overall MIT effort in sustainable development. In parallel, the chair provides me with resources to enable me to infuse my teaching with fresh examples from the world around us," said Professor Sadoway.
Professor Sadoway's research seeks to establish the scientific underpinnings for technologies that make efficient use of energy and natural resources in an environmentally sound manner. Among his many honors and awards, Dr. Sadoway has received the Bose Award for Teaching (1997), a MacVicar Faculty Fellowship (1995-2005), the AT&T Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship (1994-95) and the MIT Graduate Student Council Teaching Award (1993, 1988, 1987, 1984 and 1982). He has been associate editor of the Journal of Materials Research since 1996.
"One of the most outstanding and entertaining classroom teachers at MIT, Professor Sadoway brings a breadth of knowledge and an infectious enthusiasm to all that he does. His work on improving the educational experience of the freshman year will have a significant impact on the MIT undergraduate experience for many years to come," Professor Eagar said.
A version of this article appeared in the May 5, 1999 issue of MIT Tech Talk (Volume 43, Number 29).
