How to Make Your Voice Heard in TMS

Because student development is so important to TMS, the Society's members volunteer their time and knowledge to serve on a committee devoted solely to your needs--the Student Affairs Committee. The committee exercises general supervision over the TMS student chapters and suggests and coordinates student activities for the society.

Student Affairs Director

The student affairs director is the main liaison between the committee and the TMS Board of Directors. He or she provides leadership to the committee in developing and augmenting policy that affects you and, in turn, represents your interests at the very highest level of the TMS executive ladder. The director, who holds a three-year term, works directly with the Education Council and the manager of education and professional affairs in planning, formulating, and presenting to the Board policies and programs that will further the role of students within the Society.

Student Affairs Committee

The Student Affairs Committee consists of a chair, a vice chair, a past chair, and a minimum of four members appointed by the TMS vice president. Members serve three-year terms while the chair, vice chair, and past chair rotation consists of two-year terms. Each of the five technical division chairs appoints a representative for a three-year term. The committee meets twice a year, at the Annual Meeting and at Materials Week.

The current committee members are Chair Dana Elzey, Past Chair H.Y. Sohn, Vice Chair Lisa Allen, Student Affairs Director William Clark, Membership Development Chair and Ex-Officio Subodh Das, and members Samuel Allen, Roy Arrowood, Thomas Dooley, David Gaskell, George Kipouros, Enrique Lavernia, John Moore, James Witting, and Steven Yalisove.

Committee Goals

When the Board of Directors adopted a strategic management plan for TMS, they set two broad goals concerning the education of future professionals--the development of a strong TMS presence among college students majoring in materials-related curricula and the stimulation of interest in the materials discipline at the high school and elementary school levels.

The committee developed tactics to meet these goals and is currently implementing many of the suggestions. For example:

The members agreed to continue the student paper and student chapter contests and implemented a student design contest--the Materials Design (MaD) Competition. The committee is working to integrate students into commitees and symposia, where appropriate. Student-focused programming and travel subsidies for students have been arranged for Society meetings. Close-working liaisons are being developed with the Society of Women Engineers and minority engineering organizations. A network of international TMS student chapters is being established.

Want to be a Member?

You can take an active part and help shape the role of the student within TMS by becoming a student member of the Student Affairs Committee. Student members may be appointed by the chair for one year terms; the only qualification is that you must be a student member of TMS. To learn more, submit your name to the manager of education and professional affairs, and the committee will discuss your appointment. If appointed, you will be able to cast a vote on committee decisions.

For more information on how you can become involved, or to submit your name for membership on the Student Affairs Committee, contact Vicki Koebnick.