Elections
Election of FIAP Officers for 2013-2016
The Forum on Industrial and Applied Physics is electing one Vice-Chair and two Members-at-Large for the 2013-2016 term. The candidates are listed below.
Please carefully review the candidate information. When you are ready, vote electronically using the personal URL provided in the email sent to you by APS. FIAP members without a valid email address registered with APS will instead be mailed a paper ballot.
Candidates for Vice-Chair (vote for one)- Mohsen Yeganeh, ExxonMobil Corporate Strategic Laboratories
- David Seiler, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Bill Atkinson, Boeing
- Carl Meinhart, SpectraFluidics, Inc.
- Ichiro Takeuchi, University of Maryland
- Joseph E. Sabol, Consultant
Candidates for Vice-Chair
Mohsen Yeganeh, ExxonMobil Corporate Strategic Laboratories
Biography:
Mohsen Yeganeh received his B.S. in Physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania. He joined Exxon (now ExxonMobil) Research and Engineering Co. in 1992 where he leads the nonlinear optical spectroscopy laboratory and research in interfacial science. Mohsen Yeganeh is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a recipient of the ExxonMobil Production Research Innovator of the Year Award (2006), a recipient of a ROCE Award (2012), and the author of numerous publications and patents. He has served on the APS Task Force for Industrial and Applied Physics, FIAP (Secretary/Treasurer 2005-2011), the Fellowship committee, APS Industrial Applications of Physics Prize committee (Chair 2011- ), APS Careers and Professional Development Committee (2013- ), and various seminar organizing committees.
Statement:
Advances in physics within the industrial community must be recognized and acknowledged. I am committed to ensure that applied and particularly industrial physicists are well served and recognized within the American Physical Society. I will work closely with APS to ensure the needs of industrial physicists and establish guidelines to recognize industrial accomplishments and innovations. In addition, as a member of the executive committee, I will actively encourage broader interactions between industries and universities, as well as facilitate interactions between physics students and industry for better career planning. My twenty-year career as an industrial physicist along with over a decade of experience as the Secretary/Treasurer of FIAP and broad involvement in industry-related APS activities will serve me well in fulfilling this position.
David Seiler, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Biography:
David Seileris Chief of the Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), working with industry to provide innovative research and standards for dimensional, nanometer-scale, surface, and acoustic pressure measurements; semiconductors; MEMS; power electronics; nanoelectronics; smart grid; and flexible/printed electronics. He has worked for almost two decades on the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, recognized worldwide as a model for evaluating industry challenges and technology requirements and then formulating potential solutions. He has made substantial contributions to government-industry collaborations such as the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative and SEMATECH. He also works with industry by serving on the Governing Counsel of the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative and as the Chair of AIP’s Corporate Associates. In 1995, Dr. Seiler initiated the International Conference on Frontiers of Characterization and Metrology for Nanoelectronics, which he continues to lead today. The conference summarizes major issues for next generation semiconductor manufacturing and its talks are widely disseminated (over 3.5 M page views since 2000).
He has expertise in properties of semiconductors with focus on quantum transport, two-photon absorption spectroscopy, and magneto-optical effects. He has chaired and been editor of 11 international semiconductor conferences. Before joining NIST in 1988, Dr. Seiler served as a Solid State Physics Program Director in the NSF Materials Research Division, spent a sabbatical at the MIT Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory, and was Regents Professor of Physics at the University of North Texas. Dr. Seiler received a Ph. D. and M.S. in Physics from Purdue University and a B.S. in Physics from Case Western Reserve University. He is Fellow of the APS and the IEEE. He also received a Purdue Distinguished Alumnus Award for Semiconductor Physics Leadership.
Statement:
FIAP serves as a vitally needed link within APS to the industrial and applied physics community, involving members from industry, academia, and government. As members of FIAP, each of us can make important contributions to ensure that FIAP is successful and can have a strong professional impact on not only the APS but our own communities where we practice applied physics. My goal will be to encourage your interest and participation in FIAP activities by exploring new ways to meet the needs of the industrial and applied physics community, as well as enabling better communications and collaborations among industry, academia, and government.
Among the activities I want to pursue in conjunction with the present officers are: Improve the relevancy of the March APS meeting to industrial physicists; push APS to explore creating webinars and educational units tailored to industrial and applied physicists, who often get new assignments in fields where they must come up to speed quickly, and continue FIAP’s new initiatives to educate graduate students and post-docs about the remarkable future of industrial physics.
My extensive experience working with industry, academia, and government enables me to provide the critical foundation for advancing and representing the interests of FIAP members. I have worked directly with industry and through industrial and academic consortia such as SEMATECH, Semiconductor Research Corporation, and the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative. I have had a wide variety of current and prior interactions with both AIP and APS units: Chair and Vice Chair of GIMS, executive committee of FIAP, organizing and chairing meeting sessions, and chairing and serving on award and fellowship committees of both FIAP and GIMS, chairing AIP’s Corporate Associates.
I understand how APS works and believe I can be an effective voice for industry within it. I welcome the opportunity to serve FIAP by advancing its objectives and representing its membership well.
Candidates for Member-at-Large
Bill Atkinson, BoeingBiography:
William J Atkinson has a MS in experimental nuclear physics and a PhD in computational nuclear physics with medical applications from University of Alabama in Birmingham with the honor of most outstanding graduate student with both degrees. During his employment as senior scientist at Boeing, Dr. Atkinson made advances in industrial applications of physics in developing methods to mitigate disruptions of space radiation effects on electrical systems, electro-optical sensors in aerospace systems, and pattern recognition algorithms for infrared sensors. He has over 40 publications in national and international peer-reviewed journals in applied physics related to radiation effects on biological and electronic systems as well as mathematical and theoretical physics. He was awarded the title of Associate Fellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) AIAA for "his original contributions on the impact of space radiation on electronics in aerospace systems" and elected as a Fellow in the American Physical Society (APS) upon nomination by the Forum for Industrial and Applied Physics (FIAP).
Statement:
I have been an applied physicist for most of my professional career and believe my election as a member-at-large would enable me to encourage youth in a career in the industrial sector of physics and educate society of the importance of physics in technical innovations improving their quality of life. Physicists have developed the most innovative technologies in the past and their talents are desperately needed in the many challenges ahead.
Carl Meinhart, SpectraFluidics, Inc.
Biography:
Dr. Carl Meinhart is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California – Santa Barbara, and CTO of SpectraFluidics, Inc. He received his PhD in Theoretical & Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois in 1994. His dissertation research was focused on the experimental investigation of turbulence in wall-bounded flows using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV).
Through his career, he has made scientific and technical contributions to both academia and industry. From 1995 - 1996, Dr. Meinhart took a position at Ford Motor Company’s Scientific Research Center. His work at Ford involved developing 3-dimensional particle tracking techniques for analysis of fluid motion inside engine cylinders. This information was then used to understand the influence of intake port geometry and valving for combustion modeling.
In 1996, Dr. Meinhart joined the faculty in the Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at UCSB. He was promoted to full professor in 2007. He is well known for his work in co-developing micron-resolution Particle Image Velocimetry. This technique is widely used in the research community for measuring detailed fluid motion in microfluidic devices. The Micro-PIV technique has been patented, and successfully licensed and commercialized by TSI, Inc., St. Paul, MN.
In collaboration with Prof. Martin Moskovits’ group in Chemistry at UCSB, Dr. Meinhart and one of his PhD students co-invented a Free-surface microfluidics / SERS technique for detection of certain gas-phase molecules with ultra high sensitivity and specificity. The technique is applicable to the detection of vapors emanating from explosives and narcotics, among others. This research has led to several publications, an issued patent, and eight pending patent applications.
In 2008, Dr. Meinhart co-founded SpectraFluidics, Inc. to commercialize the Free-Surface Microfluidics/SERS technology. The company has attracted government and venture capital funding. In 2012, Dr. Meinhart founded Numerical Design, Inc., which specializes in numerical simulation of multiphysical phenomena that occur in MEMS/microfluidic devices.
Statement:
Since receiving my PhD in 1994, my career has been focused between academia and industry. I have been on the faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UC – Santa Barbara for the past 15 years, held fulltime positions at Ford Motor Co, founded Numerical Design, Inc, co-founded SpectraFluidics, Inc., and PiMEMS, Inc. In these challenging economic times, it is imperative that academia and industry evolve to work more closely together. It is only through high-level interactions that both types of institutions can best thrive during the next 10 – 20 years.
From an industrial perspective, a flat world makes it difficult for US manufacturing to compete in the global marketplace. The best way, and perhaps the only way, for US industry to compete is through innovation. It is by this innovation that US industry can retake its leadership role.
FIAP must continue to work to improve vehicles that facilitate the transition of technology, ideas, and students from universities to industry. As a Member at Large for FIAP, I plan to continue my efforts to bridge ties between these institutions.
Ichiro Takeuchi, University of Maryland
Biography:
Ichiro Takeuchi is a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Maryland. His research interests include industrial applications of combinatorial materials science, novel multilayer thin-film devices, and scanning probe microscopes. Takeuchi received his BS in Physics from California Institute of Technology (1987) and PhD in Physics from the University of Maryland (1996). Prior to joining the Maryland faculty, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1996-1999), where he was on the Associated Western Universities Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. From 1987-1991, Takeuchi held a technical staff position in the Microelectronics and Fundamental Research Laboratories at NEC Corporation in Japan. Takeuchi has previously held visiting professor positions at the University of Tokyo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Ruhr University Bochum, and Tokyo University of Science. Takeuchi served as a Fellow of the Japan Science and Technology Agency by special appointment during 2007-2008. He has been a guest researcher at NIST since 2004. Since 2010, he has also served as Chief Technical Officer of Maryland Energy and Sensor Technologies, LLC. Takeuchi was elected a Fellow of APS through FIAP in 2010. He currently serves on the editorial advisory board of the journal ACS Combinatorial Science. Takeuchi is a recipient of the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program Award (2000), the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award (2000), NSF CAREER Award (2001), and the University of Maryland Invention of the Year Award (2011). He has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles and holds 6 U.S. patents.
Statement:
As reflected in the results of the recent FIAP survey, the immediate challenge of FIAP is to effectively transform it, so that it is more about directly addressing the needs of the large membership rooted in the industrial and national labs. In particular, we should have a stronger focus on employment, recruiting, and career development of physicists working in the industry. Given that a large fraction of physicists join the industrial workforce in the long run, there should be a series of sessions addressing questions and needs of graduate students and postdocs transitioning from academia to industry.
Is there a role an academic person such as myself can play in this process? I strongly believe so. After all, industrial physicists come from universities. There is currently not enough emphasis in the academic environment for training graduate students and postdocs to prepare them for industrial jobs. We can all gain by engaging in this cause. After all, mentoring and directing our students and younger colleagues to well-matched positions in the industry is one of the most important and rewarding tasks for us.
FIAP should also sponsor more invited sessions showcasing the most exciting and up-to-date developments from the commercial end of the high-tech industry. Through such venues, we need to continually re-evaluate and advance the stage for the next generation of industrial physicists who will have to navigate rapidly evolving technological terrains in the real world. Such sessions should be well attended by students and industrial members alike.
As an advocate of high-throughput methodologies in materials science, I have always worked extensively to bring together scientists and engineers engaged in a diverse range of technological topics in industry and academia alike. I believe my background from having worked in a national lab, industry, and academia can help serve the forum with a unique perspective. As a Member-at-Large, I hope to become a strong advocate and a bridge between academia and industrial/national laboratories.
Biography:
Joseph E. Sabol received a B.S. in chemistry from Carroll College (Waukesha WI), a Ph.D. in chemistry from Oklahoma State University, and was a postdoc in chemical engineering at University of Minnesota. For more than fifteen years, Sabol was in the academic sector, teaching a variety of primarily undergraduate courses in chemistry, directing undergraduate research, engaging in Summer NSF opportunities, and authoring 14 publications. In 1999, Sabol set aside his university career and formed a consulting company www.chem-consult.com that directed its technical and business services toward smaller companies in the chemical, materials, and allied sectors; projects include semiconductor and metal processing, polymers and adhesives, biochemical and pharmaceutical business development, automobile parts, and medical devices.
Since 2008, Sabol has been Program Chair of the American Chemical Society, Division of Small Chemical Businesses, with full responsibility for the Division’s programming at ACS national and regional meetings, as well as an active member of the Division’s Executive Committee. Sabol joined APS in 1990 and currently is a member of FIAP. Sabol is also a member of American Association for the Advancement of Science, Materials Research Society, Sigma Xi, and Marquette [MI] Local Emergency Planning Committee, serving as Secretary since 2010.
Statement:
The days of career services providing only resume review and interview skills are past. We are doing a disservice by providing a narrow career path pipeline that only includes employment choices in academic, industrial, and government sectors. Self-employment or starting one’s own company is an option that must not be ignored. While being an entrepreneur is not for everybody, we can help maximize the success of startups by providing suitable training, role models, and other resources for APS members (students and mid-career) wishing to start a new company. Technically savvy innovators, those who know how to solve the problem of the day and foresee the business decisions that make the probability of surviving tomorrow’s market, are crucial for future economic growth, product development, and job creation. A solid physics training (quantitative and hands-on laboratory) is only part of the skill-set for success in the contemporary market. From my experience with the ACS and its entrepreneurial programs, I will work to strengthen the APS member services that can help industrial physicists, including multi-disciplinary collaborations, practical business and marketing resources, and a road map of opportunities. The recent FIAP survey showed that a majority of members favor programming on industrial jobs and how to start a company. The FIAP needs to remain on the vanguard of providing resources that help APS members leverage their academic training to remain competitive in technology transfer, industrial problem solving, and revenue generation.