Christine Ortiz, M.S. '95, Ph.D. '97, received the 2024 Materials Science and Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award at the department's annual awards gala on May 10th in Willard Straight Hall. Ortiz delivered a keynote speech discussing her work with Station 1 Laboratory Inc., a nonprofit institution she founded in 2016 to focus on teaching students science and technology through a socially-directed research and learning model. She also discussed her research on emerging materials technologies, sustainable materials design, and the potential for environmental and social impact, at MIT where she is the Morris Cohen Professor in Materials Science and Engineering.
With more than 25 years working in higher education, Ortiz has been recognized for her pioneering advancements in the areas of biotechnology and biomaterials, nanotechnology, design of novel and multifunctional materials, multiscale mechanics of materials, multiscale computational modeling of materials, advanced and additive manufacturing, surface science, coatings, and tribology, and sustainable approaches to materials design.
In addition to her research and nonprofit work, Ortiz has given talks in more than 40 countries, has been featured in over 200 scholarly publications, supervised the research projects of more than 100 students from 10 different academic disciplines, and received more than 30 national and international honors including the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering, awarded to her at the White House by U.S. President George W. Bush.
Dr. Ortiz has led large interdisciplinary teams and research grants and has served on over 50 scientific advisory boards and expert panels. She was the founding principal investigator of the MIT University Center of Exemplary Mentoring, where she created an infrastructure for advancing the funding acquisition of graduate fellowships and led the development of innovative global education and research opportunities.
Dr. Ortiz participates in board service across sectors and currently serves as a corporate board director for Mueller Water Products and as a trustee of the Essex County Community Foundation.
Pioneering advances in quantum computing, sustainable biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and biomedical innovation have earned six faculty members Research Excellence Awards, the highest research... Read more about Faculty from range of fields earn Engineering's top research honor
For their work on strengthening food crops against pests and diseases, and on hybrid materials for applications including cancer therapeutics, respectively, Cornell professors Herb Aldwinckle and... Read more about Aldwinckle, Wiesner elected to National Academy of Inventors
Judy Cha, professor of materials science and engineering, has been elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) by the APS Council of Representatives during their September council meeting... Read more about American Physical Society Fellowship Awarded to Judy Cha
