2012 Young Leaders 2011 Young Leaders 2010 Young Leaders 2009 Young Leaders 2008 Young Leaders 2007 Young Leaders 2006 Young Leaders 2005 Young Leaders 2004 Young Leaders 2003 Young Leaders 2002 Young Leaders 2001 Young Leaders 2000 Young Leaders

KANTESH BALANI
It was an enriching experience to attend 2012 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition held in Orlando, Florida. I attended MPMD (Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division) meeting and learned a lot regarding the planning and structuring of various sections such as computational materials science, refining and processing, surface engineering, and many more. Following this meeting, attendance in the young leader business committee introduced me to the organization aspects and requirements of young leaders and gaining from their active involvement. In addition, receiving the MPMD Young Leader Professional Award during the Young Leader Tutorial Luncheon was an honor, which was preceded by an exciting talk on the role of nanomechanics in today’s therapeutics and diagnostics. I also judged a poster session, and visited exhibition booths. Hence, I benefitted in terms of finding vendors and getting to know the new pieces of equipments reaching the commercial market. I was given the opportunity to professionally interact and present an invited talk on the “Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Multistructured Peacock Feathers” in the Chemical Sensing and Devices II-Biomaterials and Applications session and a contributed paper on “Role of Yttria Stabilized Zirconia on Fracture Toughness of Plasma Sprayed Aluminum Oxide Composite Coatings" in the Advances in Surface Engineering: Alloyed and Composite Coatings in the afternoon session. All in all, it was a highly rewarding to be part of 2012 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition held in Orlando.

JOHN CARPENTER
I would like to thank the Extraction and Processing Division (EPD) for my selection as a 2012 Young Leader. TMS in Orlando this year was a rewarding experience that heightened my awareness of the various facets of an Annual Meeting. By judging at the Materials Science Bowl and EPD poster session, I was able to see how TMS can provide a rich and varied experience for undergraduate and graduate students alike. In addition, the invitations to the EPD Council and TMS Board meetings allowed me to observe the organizational structure from the committee meetings all the way to the “top” in a single Annual Meeting. This helped me to see not only how this year’s meeting was created, but how TMS looks to the future in planning the society’s priorities. The whole experience served to inspire me to become even more involved with TMS as it provides opportunities for personal growth, professional collaboration, and leadership development.

QIZHEN LI
It was a great honor to be awarded the TMS Young Leader Professional Development Award from the Light Metals Division. In addition to attending different technical sessions such as "Deformation, Damage, and Fracture of Light Metals and Alloys", "Magnesium Technology 2012", and "Materials Processing Fundamentals", I had the opportunity to be involved with the TMS Board of Directors Meeting and the Light Metals Division Council Meeting. I observed how people work together to make TMS a better service to the materials community through improving various current activities and introducing new activities. The contributing people include not only the conference attendees, but also the TMS staff members. I would love to encourage young researchers to come to TMS annual meeting. Meanwhile, I would like to continue organizing technical symposia to provide a platform for researchers to share their findings.

NATHAN MARA

PRETESH PATEL
This was my fifth TMS Annual Meeting and it was my most rewarding to date. I was honored to receive the Young Leader and Professional Development Award for the Light Metals Division and the award gave me a chance to see and take part in a side of TMS, which I have not seen in my previous Annual Meeting experiences. I found attending Board, Council, and Committee meetings very insightful, and they gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about the society. Attending these meetings also provided a great platform to network with leaders in my field. The 2012 Annual Meeting was truly a rewarding experience for me, and I am looking forward to a more active role in TMS as a Committee member in the coming years!

SOOBHANKAR PATI
Over the last 5 years, I have been associated with TMS in different capacities, beginning as a student member. I am honored to be selected by the Extraction and Processing Division as a Young Leader for 2012. The Young Leader Award provided me an opportunity to see the inner workings of the society to the highest levels, including an invitation to attend the meeting of the Board of Directors. As an EPD Young Leader, I was given the opportunity to attend the EPD council meeting. The EPD Chair and the Council Members were very friendly and helpful to new members especially the Young Leaders. The Young Leader program is an excellent program and it has been a great experience so far. It helped me to network with peers and society members who are experts in their own field. I would strongly encourage young professionals in the field of materials science and engineering to apply for this award. I look forward to continuing involvement with TMS in the future through the technical divisions and committees.

NIMA RAHBAR
I was honored to receive the Young Leader Professional Development award from the SMD division at the 2012 TMS annual meeting in Orlando. I have enjoyed attending TMS' annual meeting since 2005, but this year in particular was a great experience. In addition to organizing the Biological Materials Science symposium, I enjoyed attending all the functions and meetings related to YLs. I especially enjoyed meeting the other YLs, attending SMD council and observing the board of directors meeting. I look forward to future continued involvement in TMS activities.

ASHWIN RAMASUBRAMANIAM

CHAO-HONG WANG
It is my great pleasure and honor to receive the 2012 TMS Young Leader Professional Development Award from the Electronic, Magnetic and Photonic Materials Division (EMPMD) at the TMS Annual Meeting in Orlando. I have attended several TMS meetings and gave technical presentations since 2006, but undoubtedly, this year’s annual meeting gave me a most exciting, fruitful and unforgettable experience. In addition to normal technical sessions, this award offered me an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of social function events, including Yong Leaders Tutorial Luncheon, EMPMD council meeting, and TMS-AIME Awards Banquet. I also served as a judge in the student poster competition. These activities allowed me to interact with other Young Leaders and many great committee members. From these activities, I was able to further understand the operation of technical programs, committee organization, and society management. This wonderful experience encouraged me to become actively involved in the TMS organization in the future. Finally, I sincerely thank the TMS society and the EMPMD award committee.

CLARISSA YABLINSKY
Winning the Structural Material Division Young Leader Professional Development Award provided me with a completely new experience at TMS. In past years, I mostly attended as a presenter, and did not have much exposure to the inner workings of the society. This year in Orlando was eye opening. I was able to sit in the Board of Directors meeting, which gave me insight into the administrative aspects of the society, and how the whole organization must function together to make the conference successful in the current year and in future years. Even though I participate in technical committees, it was interesting to see the interplay between technical committees in the SMD Council meeting, and how they discussed ways to better the overall programming for structural materials by planning joint symposia. I very much enjoyed both the technical and administrative meetings, and I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this wonderful program. With my new understanding, I can go forward with my knowledge, participate in TMS at all levels, and continue to advance the TMS organization.