Meet: Merton C. Flemings, Sc.D.

Who I Am

I am a professor at MIT. I study metal casting and solidification. I didn't expect to do this all my life, and went to work in industry for awhile after I finished my doctorate. Then I decided that there was a lot about my field I wanted to learn (and teach) and that is what I have been doing ever since (40 years).

My research and teaching concentrate on engineering fundamentals of materials processing, and on innovation of materials processing operations. I have worked closely with industry and industrial problems throughout my professional career; I serve on a number of corporate and technical advisory boards. I am active nationally in strengthening the field of materials science and engineering and in delineation of new directions for the field.

I am active in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research in materials science and engineering. I am a member of the National Academy of Engineering and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. I am author or co-author of 270 papers, 24 patents, and two books in the fields of solidification science and engineering, foundry technology, and materials processing.

My Career Journey

I received my S.B. degree from MIT in the Department of Metallurgy in 1951. I received my S.M. and Sc.D. degrees, also in metallurgy, in 1952 and 1954, respectively. From 1954 to 1956, I was employed as Metallurgist at Abex Corporation, Mahwah, New Jersey, and in 1956 returned to MIT as Assistant Professor. I was appointed associate professor in 1961, and professor in 1969. In 1970, I was appointed Abex Professor of Metallurgy. In 1975, I became Ford Professor of Engineering and, in 1981, Toyota Professor of Materials Processing. I established and was the first director of the Materials Processing Center at MIT in 1979. I served as Head, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, from 1982 to 1995, and am currently engaged in full-time teaching and research as Toyota Professor. I was Visiting Professor at Cambridge University in 1971, Tokyo University in 1986 and at Ecole des Mines in 1996.

Preparation for Career

I loved "Arrowsmith," books about Edison, "Popular Science" and "Popular Mechanics," etc.

I decided on engineering in the first place because it seemed to me that that was a field in which I could contribute and make a difference to peoples' lives. After MIT I did real engineering in a real company for a while...that was important.

Likes/Dislikes About Career

The best part is working with young people as their careers advance. The next best part is discovering new things and making old things work better...through research. I can't think of any bad parts.

My Awards and Achievements

I received the Simpson Gold Medal from the American Foundrymen's Society in 1961, the Mathewson Gold Medal of TMS in 1969, the Henry Marion Howe Medal of ASM International in 1973, and became a Fellow, ASM International in 1976. In 1977, I was awarded the Henri Sainte-Claire Deville Medal by the Societe Francaise de Metallurgie. In October 1978, I received the Albert Sauveur Achievement Award from ASM International. In 1980, I received the John Chipman Award from AIME. In 1984, I was elected an honorary member of the Japan Foundrymen's Society, and in 1985 received the James Douglas Gold Medal from the AIME. The Italian Metallurgical Association awarded me the Luigi Losana Gold Medal in 1986, and I was elected honorary member of the Japan Iron and Steel Institute in 1987. I was elected a TMS Fellow in 1989. In 1990, I received the TMS Leadership Award, the Henry Marion Howe Medal, and delivered the Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture of ASM International. In 1991, I received the Merton C. Flemings Award from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Sigma Alpha Mu elected me a Distinguished Life Member in 1992. In 1993, I received the TMS 1993 Bruce Chalmers Award and was elected Councillor of Materials Research Society. I was elected to the ASM International Board of Trustees in 1994.

Advice

Of course, do well in science and math, but after that remember being a successful scientist or engineer doesn't depend on being impossibly brilliant...it is perspiration and figuring out what it means to be creative.