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This story appears in The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society's student newsletter Professional Preface, vol. 12, no. 2.

Material Advantage Students meet with Members of Congress

The famous cherry blossoms that adorn the mall in Washington, D.C. were complemented this year by the smiling faces and sharp minds of 20 Material Advantage student members (Figure 1). The student contingency joined top scientists and engineers from around the country for Science-Engineering-Technology Congressional Visit Days (CVD).

Figure 1. University of Tennessee students Rejanah Steward (left) and Elizabeth Barker on their trip to the U.S. Capitol building to encourage Congressional leaders to fund science and technology R&D.

The event, organized for the materials community by the Federation of Material Societies, provides a unifi ed voice to petition members of Congress for increased funding for basic research and development in the materials sciences. Students participated on teams that paid personal visits to members of Congress and their staff. The Material Advantage contingent represented the only student group of the approximately 300 advocates participating in CVD.

Travel and registration costs for students to attend the event were partially offset by funding from the TMS Foundation and ASM International. TMS organized the student participation and hosted a social for the students and TMS professionals in the famous Union Station. Overall, the students viewed the event as a positive experience. “The CVD experience taught me that anyone can have an impact on the decisions made by our elected representatives, and has encouraged me to become even more active in the public policy arena,” said Albert Swiston, a student participant from Johns Hopkins University. “I certainly plan to participate in CVD in coming years!”

For more news and photos from this year’s and past year’s events, visit the CVD web site at www.tms.org/PGA/CVD.html.

For additional information or questions on student membership, please contact:

TMS Membership Department
184 Thorn Hill Road
Warrendale, PA 15086
Telephone: (724) 776-9000
Fax: (724) 776-3770
Email: students@tms.org