Four faculty members from the Tickle College of Engineering have been elected fellows of the American Association for Advancement Sciences (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.
UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair Professor Rigoberto Advincula, UT-ORNL Distinguished Scientist/Professor Director Takeshi Egami, Weston Fulton Professor Sergei Kalinin, and Dongarra Professor Michela Taufer are among the 2023 class of 502 scientists, engineers, and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary sections to receive the honor.
AAAS Fellows are a distinguished cadre of scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their achievements across disciplines ranging from research, teaching and technology, to administration in academia, industry, and government, to excellence in communicating and interpreting science to the public. The AAAS Fellows program is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
Rigoberto Advincula
Advincula is the leader of the Polymer Group at ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the American Chemical Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
“Becoming an AAAS Fellow highlights not just my contributions but what my group has accomplished,” he said. “We design different types of polymer architectures and nanomaterials. We’re working now with digital manufacturing to enhance performance and sustainability, and to discover new applications such as biotechnologies, parts for connected vehicle technologies like sensors and how to use thin-film coatings to strengthen materials against damage.
“I am passionate about training and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students—the next generation of scientists—to help them have successful careers,” he added. “I aim to help them gain soft skills so they can be confident in choosing STEM as a career, while they build hard skills that industry or academia will be looking for, like how to work with state-of-the-art equipment. For example, I directly involve them with nanocomposites and in 3D printing.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)