The TMS Young Leaders Program: A Home For Recent Graduates

There is a program in TMS that could have a profound effect on graduating students in the materials field--the Young Leaders Committee. The Young Leaders Committee is an initiative that was developed by TMS in 1993 to encourage young professionals to increase their involvement in the Society.

A young leader is a professional under the age of 35 who is active in the materials field and interested in taking a leadership role in the society. Traditionally, this is a group of people who attend TMS meetings to present papers and attend sessions but are not involved in the inner workings of the society (i.e., the committees). Unfortunately, the committee structure of TMS may appear to be available only for mature members, and young professionals think they must pay their dues before they can be included. This impression is simply not true.

The committee has a number of important activities that are aimed to benefit young professionals and TMS. These include:

* Networking activity between younger and more senior members of TMS through a mentorship program.

* The development of programming at TMS meetings that is useful to young professionals.

* The development of programming that addresses materials-based concerns for private industry. A common (mis)conception of those in private industry (particularly managers that approve travel of young professionals) is that TMS is composed of people who work in ivory towers and have no interest in working on problems relative to the private sector. This is an issue that is critical to the Young Leaders Committee because a majority of young professionals are in private industry, and they need to show their managers that their company can benefit from them being actively involved in TMS.

Students should consider the Young Leaders Committee their first step into a professional society as they enter the working world. If you are graduating and want to join this committee, contact either Tara Braden at TMS at (412)776-9000, ext. 259, fax (724) 776-3770; e-mail tbraden@tms.org or myself at Sandia National Laboratories at (505) 845-9023; fax (505) 844-1543; e-mail drfrear@sandia.gov.

Darrel Frear
Young Leaders Committee and Electronic, Magnetic & Photonic Materials Division Chair