Boettinger Elected to Engineering Academy

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) metallurgist William J. Boettinger has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), an honor recognizing research accomplishments that have improved the design and processing of materials, from aerospace alloys to lead-free solders for microelectronics.

A NIST fellow, Boettinger has written more than 100 articles published in technical journals and books, and he is among the world's most highly cited researchers in the field of materials science.

An expert in the field of solidification, the process by which liquid metals harden, Boettinger has developed models that are used to predict the type and arrangement of micrometer-scale structures that form as materials cool and solidify. This predictive capability makes it possible to optimize processing methods so that the desired microstructure and, as a result, physical properties such as strength or toughness are achieved.

Boettinger earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He has received numerous awards and honors, including two gold medals from the Commerce Department. The top honor awarded by the department, a gold medal recognizes "breakthrough" achievements that resolve long-standing problems, advance the state of the art, or significantly impact the economy.

Eleven current and retired NIST researchers are members of the prestigious NAE.

For more information see Boettinger's NAE profile.