Kathy Lu

Present Position

Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Chapter Affiliation

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Statement

Kathy Lu1. Vision and philosophy
In our history, there has never been a time like today that science and technology play such an important role in our society and the well-being of the general public. We rely on science advancement to produce new products to improve our standard of living, to minimize the impact on our environment, to communicate around every corner of the world, and to enjoy the benefits of healthier and longer lives.

More important than ever, we, as scientists and educators, carry a bigger responsibility to improve public understanding of science so that we can ensure the allocation of our precious resources to make the greatest impact on the betterment of our society. This is especially vital when other things show more urgency or when the economy goes rough. This is why I am self-nominating to serve as the Director. I have expressed such a desire in previous years and this year I am doing it again. We must continuously educate the general public not only to understand and support the work we do, but also to participate in the grand discovery endeavors we take. We must make our science not only visible and touchable, but also indispensable to the daily lives of the general public. As scientists, we have the duty to explain to the public how our work is making a difference in our society and why the investment is worth it. Science will not advance with just a cohort of educated scientists working in their labs isolated from the real world, science only advances when educated scientists can effectively lead a well-educated public to push this as a common cause. We must understand the needs of the public at each and every level, become part of them, and serve them from the beginning to the end. We cannot confine ourselves in our daily routine and view science exploration as our privileged way of living our lives.

For different governmental entities, we also carry the indispensable responsibility to promote the importance of science in order to sustain and enhance the funding support of our research enterprise—the greatest one in the world. Even though we still enjoy the leadership position in science and technology, the recent economic downturn and the rapidly increased investment in research and development from other countries have cast a long shadow on our long-enjoyed scientific leadership position in the world. Our governmental bodies do not always have the best knowledge about our fields or the most comprehensive view about the societal needs in science. We must actively and strategically interact with our legislatures and constituencies to ensure a healthy level of financial support. We need to actively engage the law-makers, the government agencies, and the executive offices to continue and strengthen the funding support that our communities highly need. We cannot afford to let the scientific enterprise suffer. History has been the best witness on this. The early civilization, the industrialization, and some of last century’s great scientific breakthroughs did not happen in our country. For our hard-earned scientific leadership position in recent decades, we cannot let it suffer because it will take many more decades of unstopping work to catch it up. The financial price we have to pay is just too grave.

With the continuous globalization, manufacturing has been moving to lower cost regions/countries. With the creation of wealth in those places, the education and infrastructure are correspondingly being improved. As a result, if we continue our old way of thinking and conducing science, our citizens would be left with diminished opportunities for prosperity. We must invent new science discovery and education models to produce new talents who can handle the changing situations and make up the missing opportunities in our society. We must look at how to start our education reform from K-12, to college, up until post-graduate education. In our graduate programs, international students have taken >50% of the enrollment for a long time. In the past, most of these students chose to stay because of the better prospect in life here. In recent years, many students have chosen to go back to their home countries because of better economic conditions, more employment opportunities, better support in research and development, and the dire immigration process in our county. On the other hand, we are seeing a huge increase in foreign undergraduate student enrollment, which means our higher education contribution to other countries is trickling down to the undergraduate level. Thus, we face two challenges: how to reinvent ourselves to produce more adaptable students and how to allocate our resources in the face of increasing foreign students in every classroom of our campuses.

Women have made striking gains on science. In 2009, women earned 55.6 percent of PhDs in the life sciences, and about 30 percent in the physical sciences, mathematics, and engineering. To make continuous progress in science, we need to tap this precious resource to our full use. Otherwise, years of investment for their education would be wasted. This means we need to look at our policies, infrastructures, and resources to see how we can make the largest impact on science by encouraging women scientists’ participation and maximizing their contribution.

With continuously shrinking government funding, we must look at other places for support and funding to advance and promote science. In our country, corporate support of science has been steadily declining for many decades. I think there are two reasons for this: one is the far distance of some scientific work from applications to give Corporate America any excitement, the other reason is the immense pressure for the companies to take care of the bottom line and maximize profits. We must do all we can to help our industries grow. We must also find new means to get companies involved in our scientific research and education and support us more.

If I am elected as the Director, I will work hard with all colleagues to address the issues outlined above. I will work diligently with the Directors to effectively manage our Society’s activities, properties, and affairs in order to make the biggest impact on the general public. I will treasure every opportunity our Society has to offer and help the directors to set policies and establish concrete and tangible goals, reflecting my desire to improve our Society’s standing on the above issues. I will contribute all my knowledge and insight for the improvement of our science communities. I will make sure we have the best Executive Director and Board for the smooth and effective operation of our daily activities with our allowable annual budget.

I will interact frequently with local chapters to maximize our Society’s mission and make the largest impact at the local level. I will contribute to conducting meetings of regional or constituency groups and take responsibility to proactively work with, give advice to, and contribute to the health of the local chapters. I will communicate frequently with our local organizations and the headquarter, stay abreast of the Society activities and initiatives, and address email ballots in a time-sensitive nature. I will widely share the Society programs, history, mission, organizational structure, and strategic plan and be the strongest advocate for the Society as I can be among peers and in the community. I will actively identify potential sources of support and participate in solicitations and other fundraising efforts as needed. I will contribute wisdom and talent to fashion and promote Society practices and programs, recruit members, and participate actively in the revitalization of different chapters.

2. Relevant experience
I can bring a wide array of professional experience to the Director position of Sigma Xi. Some of my prior efforts are given below.

Service as an officer of professional associations
1) Secretary of National Institute of Ceramic Engineers, 2011-2012.
2) Vice President of National Institute of Ceramic Engineers, 2012-2013.
3) President-Elect of National Institute of Ceramic Engineers, 2013-2014.
4) President of National Institute of Ceramic Engineers, 2014-2015.
5) Chair of the Nanomaterials Technical Division, American Nano Society, 2014.
6) External Board Member of Tennessee Solar Conversion and Storage using Outreach, Research and Education (TN-SCORE), 2014-2015
7) Editorial Review Board of Frontiers in Energy Research, section Fuel Cells, 2014-
8) Editorial Board Member of Annals of Material Science & Engineering, 2014-
9) Advisory Board Member, Sintering2014 International Conference, Dresden, Germany, 2014. 
10) Associate Editor, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2015-
11) Member of the Committee on Society Awards Karl Schwartzwalder-Professional Achievement in Ceramic Engineering Award Sub-Committee, 2009-2014
12) Member of the Committee on Friedberg Lecture Award for American Ceramic Society (2014-)

Service to one’s profession or field
1) Member of Committee on Society Awards Karl Schwartzwalder-Professional Achievement in Ceramic Engineering Award Sub-Committee, 2009-2014
2) Member of Committee on Friedberg Lecture Award for American Ceramic Society (2014-)
3) Member of Selected Professional Fellowships Panel, American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation: selected to serve (volunteer) based on professional credentials, go to Washington DC annually to select the brightest female applicants for different scholarship opportunities from AAUW. The focus is on engineering disciplines, Jan 1, 07-Dec. 31, 08.

Member of professional societies:
1) Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society (1998-Present)
2) American Ceramic Society (1998-Present)
3) National Institute of Ceramic Engineers (2006-Present)
4) Materials Research Society (2001-Present)
5) APMI International (2000-2008)
6) American Society for Engineering Education (2004-Present)
7) Alpha Sigma Mu International Professional Honor Society (2009-Present)
8) American Association for the Advancement of Science (1999-Present)

Editorial positions:
1) Advisory Board Member, Sintering2014 International Conference, Dresden, Germany, 2014.
2) Editorial Board Member of Annals of Material Science & Engineering, 2014
3) Review Editor of Frontiers in Fuel Cells, 2014-
4) Associate Editor, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 2015-

Proposal reviews
1) Review of proposals: Academy of Finland, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research
2) Book proposal review for John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
3) PhD dissertation review for Thapar University, India.
4) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR/STTR Phase I: Metals and Ceramics Panel, February 2014.
5) Proposal Review, National Science Foundation (NSF), DMR, January 2014.
6) Proposal Review, National Science Foundation (NSF), DMR, February 2014.
7) Proposal Review, Qatar National Research Fund, February 5, 2014.
8) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for CMMI MPM, May 2013.
9) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Review Panel for DMR Computational and Data Driven Materials (CDMR), March 2013.
10) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Review Panel for CMMI Materials Processing & Manufacturing Program (MPM), November 2012.
11) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for Ceramics Program of DMR, January 2012.
12) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for Nanomanufacturing Program of CMMI, May 2011.
13) Proposal review: NSF CMMI, April 2010.
14) NSF Nanomanufacturing Program (CMMI) review panel, May 2009.
15) National Science Foundation (NSF) DMR Proposal Review, October 2009.
16) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for Engineering Division Nanomanufacturing Program, May 2009.
17) Proposal review: ACS PRF Research Proposal Review, March 2009.
18) Proposal review: NSF, DMR, October 2008
19) Proposal review: U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation, June 2008.
20) NSF International Research Fellowship Program reviewer, International Research Fellowship Program, December 2006
21) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for CBET Program, November 2007.
22) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for CMMI/TTP Program, January 2007.
23) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for Engineering Division Nanomanufacturing Program, December 2006.
24) Proposal Reviewer, Department of Energy, Nuclear Energy Research Initiative, October 2005.
25) Proposal Reviewer, U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation, 2008.
26) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for DMR NIRT Program, March 2005.
27) Panelist, National Science Foundation (NSF) Panel for DMII/TTTP Manufacturing Program, January 2005.
28) National Science Foundation (NSF) DMR Proposal Review, October 2009.
29) ACS PRF Research Proposal Review, March 2009.
30) U. S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation, June 2008.
31) National Science Foundation International Research Fellowship Program, December 2006.
32) Department of Energy, 2005.

Conference organization
1) Symposium Organizer and Session Chair, Curricular Innovations and Continuous Improvement of Academic Programs (and Satisfying ABET Along the Way): The Elizabeth Judson Memorial Symposium, Materials Science and Engineering 2016 Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah, October 23-27, 2016.
2) Symposium Organizer and Session Chair, Controlled Synthesis, Processing, and Applications of Structural and Functional Nanomaterials, Materials Science and Engineering 2016 Conference, October 23-27, 2016, Salt Lake City, Utah.
3) Session chair, 2016 145th TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition, February 14-18, 2016, Nashville, TN.
4) Session Chair, The 11th International Conference of Pacific Rim Ceramic Societies (PacRim-11), Aug. 30-Sept. 4, 2015, Jeju Island, South Korea.
5) Session Chair, 2015 TMS 144th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, March 15- 19, 2015, Orlando, FL.
6) Symposium Organizer and Session Chair, Controlled Synthesis, Processing, and Applications of Structural and Functional Nanomaterials, Materials Science and Engineering 2015 Conference, October 4-8, 2015, Columbus, OH, USA.
7) Session Chair, International Conference on Sintering 2014, August 24-28, Dresden, Germany.
8) Symposium Organizer and Session Chair, Controlled Synthesis, Processing, and Applications of Structural and Functional Nanomaterials, Materials Science and Engineering 2014 Conference, October 12-16, 2014, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
9) Symposium Organizer and Session Chair, Controlled Synthesis, Processing, and Applications of Structural and Functional Nanomaterials, Materials Science and Engineering 2013 Conference, Montreal, QC, Canada, October 27-31, 2013.
10) Session Chair, Flow and Assembly of Dense Suspensions, 12th International Conference on Ceramic Processing Science, Portland, Oregon, August 4-7, 2013.
11) Session Chair, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technology during The 10th Pacific Rim Conference on Ceramic and Glass Technology including GOMD 2013 - Glass & Optical Materials Division Annual Meeting, June 2 - 7, 2013, Coronado, CA.
12) Symposium Organizer and Session Chair, Controlled Synthesis, Processing, and Applications of Structural and Functional Nanomaterials, Materials Science and Engineering 2012 Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, October 7-11, 2012.
13) Session chair, 6th International Symposium on Nanostructured Materials and Nano-Composites: Synthesis, Functionalization, Processing and Self-assembly of Nanoparticles, 36th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics & Composites in Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach, FL, January 22-27, 2012.
14) Symposium Organizer, Controlled Synthesis, Processing, and Applications of Structural and Functional Nanomaterials, Materials Science and Engineering 2011 Conference, Columbus, OH, October 16-20, 2011.
15) Session chair, 5th International Symposium on Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology: Development and Application, 35th International Conference & Exposition on Advanced Ceramics & Composites, January 23-28, 2011. Daytona Beach, FL.
16) Session chair, Materials in Clean Power Systems VI: Clean Coal-, Hydrogen-Based Technologies, and Fuel Cells, TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition, San Diego, CA, February 27-March 3, 2011,
17) Symposium Organizer, Controlled Processing of Nanoparticle-based Materials and Nanostructured Films, Materials Science and Engineering 2010 Conference, Houston, TX, October 17-21, 2010.
18) Symposium Organizer, Controlled Processing of Nanoparticle-based Materials and Nanostructured Films, Materials Science and Engineering 2009 Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 25-29, 2009.
19) Session Chair, International Conference on Sintering 2008, 11/16/2008-11/20/2008, La Jolla, California.
20) Symposium Organizer and Session Chair, Novel Processing of Nanoparticle and Composite Particulate Systems, Materials Science and Engineering 2008 Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 5-9, 2008.
21) Symposium Organizer, Second International Symposium on Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology: Development and Applications, 32nd International Cocoa Beach Conference and Exposition on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, Daytona Beach, FL, January 27-February 1, 2008.
22) Symposium Chair, Innovative 3D Nanoparticulate Material Processing, Materials Science and Engineering 2007 Conference, Detroit, Michigan, September 16-20, 2007.
23) Session Chair, Nanostructured Materials and Nanotechnology, the 107th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Ceramic Society, Baltimore, Maryland, April 10-13, 2005.

On-campus service:
1) Selected to participation in the Virginia Tech New Academic Leaders training, 2016.
2) Commission on Graduate Studies & Policies (CGSP) of Virginia Tech, 2016-2019
3) COE Dean’s Search committee, 2016.
4) Mechanical Engineering Faculty Search Committee for the Advanced Manufacturing cluster, 2014-2015.
5) Department Faculty Search Committee Chair for the Advanced Manufacturing cluster, 2014-2015.
6) Mentor of Proposal Development Institute from Office of the Vice President for Research, help junior faculty on research (securing grants, establishing research programs, publishing papers etc.).
7) MSE graduate committee.
8) MSE diversity committee.
9) MSE ABET assessment committee.
10) MSE faculty search committee.
11) MSE VT-FIRE faculty search committee.
12) Project consultant to Virginia State University, lecture to VSU’s Summer Academy, the project is funded by USDA through the Chemistry Department, PI: Godwin Mbagwu, Title: Nanomaterials in Today’s World.
13) VT bio-cluster hiring committee, 4 faculty openings involving MSE, BSE, ChemE, and Wood Science, 2005-2006.
14) Department Undergraduate Recruitment Committee (2004-2006).
15) Ad-Hoc Committee on Restructuring Promotion &Tenure for MSE Department of Virginia Tech (2005).
16) MSE Graduate Program Committee (2006-present).
17) Chair the diversity committee of MSE department.
18) Advancing diversity at VT.
19) Women's preview weekend of College of Engineering, March 2010.
20) Lunch with Hypatia and Galileo freshmen student, November 2009.
21) Obtained NSF REU support for one female engineering student for research in my lab. 2009-2010.
22) Lunch with Hypatia and Galileo freshmen student, November 2010.
23) COE graduate student diversity luncheon, March 2011.
24) Obtained NSF REU support for two female engineering students for research in my lab. 2011.
25) AdvanceVT, Women Leaders luncheon events.
26) Obtained NSF REU support for two female engineering students for research in my lab, 2012.
27) Helped one female PhD student to obtain a 3-year fellowship for PhD study (NPCS fellowship).
28) Advising MSE mug-drop contest team to participate in the competition from the American Ceramic Society, and the team actually won the honor during MS&T 2011 conference.

International experience: I have rich Asian background and understand the research activities and researchers in Asia very well, especially in China, Japan, and Korea. In the US, I have been conducting research since 1996. In 2011, I was awarded Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and conducted research for 9 months at Technischen Universität Darmstadt, Germany. I believe the combination of these broad international experiences will benefit the Sigma Xi community tremendously. It also means a more comprehensive view and approach of solving some of the most vexing science advocacy issues.

3. Previous experience with Sigma Xi programs
I have been a Sigma Xi member since 1998. When I was at Ohio State University, I actively participated in different local chapter events. At Virginia Tech, I have participated in some activities and nominated candidates for memberships. So far, I have not held any officer positions at Sigma Xi. With the progression of my career, my leadership positions in other organizations, and my extensive involvement in international activities, I have a strong desire to make a bigger impact in Sigma Xi by bringing my higher education experience, my understanding of different government agencies, and my experience with the research activities in different parts of the world.

Kathy Lu's CV.