News: MSE

JFK Award winner to mentor girls of color in STEM

Natalia Urbas ’23 received this year’s Class of 1964 John F. Kennedy Memorial Award. She will use the $15,000 award funding to support underrepresented minorities interested in pursuing careers in research and technology. Read more

MSE to honor Bill LaFontaine with Distinguished Alumni Award

By: Eric Laine

The Cornell Department of Materials Science and Engineering is proud to honor William “Bill” LaFontaine, Ph.D. ’90 with the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award, in recognition of his outstanding career as a leader in industry. As General Manager for IP and Vice President for Research Business Development at IBM, Bill played a key role in bringing new technologies to market and driving translational research efforts. Bill was a member of the MSE Advisory Council for nearly 20 years and continues to serve on the Cornell Engineering College Council. The award will be presented at the annual Gala... Read more

Lara Estroff elected Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Industrial Chemistry

By: Cornell Engineering

The Cornell University Board of Trustees have elected Lara A. Estroff to be the Herbert Fisk Johnson Professor of Industrial Chemistry, effective April 1, 2023. Endowed chairs are the highest faculty honor at Cornell. Estroff has served as the chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering since 2020. Prior to joining the department in 2005, she received her undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College, earned her Ph.D. from Yale University, and was an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in Prof. George M. Whiteside's laboratory at Harvard University. At Cornell, Estroff served as the... Read more

Darrell Schlom elected Tisch University Professor

By: Cornell Engineering

The Cornell University Board of Trustees have elected Darrell G. Schlom to be the Tisch University Professor, effective April 1, 2023. Endowed chairs are the highest faculty honor at Cornell. Schlom received his B.S. degree from the California Institute of Technology, and completed an M.S. in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering at Stanford University. He did postdoctoral work at IBM's research lab in Zurich, Switzerland in the oxide superconductors and novel materials group managed by Nobel Prize winners J. Georg Bednorz and K. Alex Müller. He served on the... Read more

STEM Mentor Natalia Urbas ’23 Receives JFK Award for Public Service

By: Marian Caballo

STEM mentor and future nuclear engineer Natalia Urbas ’23 has been awarded the Cornell Class of 1964 John F. Kennedy Memorial Award for her academic and community contributions. Urbas was honored at the Einhorn Center for Community Engagement’s awards lunch and reception on April 18. Read more