The National Materials Advisory Board, currently chaired by Dr. Katharine Frase, VP Technology, IBM, was formed to serve as "the principal source of objective, independent, and informed scientific, technological, and policy assessments of materials, processes, and applications for use by U.S. industry, government agencies, and universities. " The National Materials Advisory Board continues to focus its attention on those materials and supporting system issues that have the greatest importance to the nation's security, health, and welfare. Prof. Handwerker previously served on the NRC Committee on Accelerating Technology Transition, producing the /NRC Report on //Accelerating Technology Transition: Bridging the Valley of Death for Materials and Processes in Defense Systems.

Carol Handwerker joined the staff of Materials Engineering in Fall 2005 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where she served as Chief of the Metallurgy Division. She received her S.B. in materials science and engineering (1978) from MIT, followed by an S.M. (1978) and an Sc.D. (1983) in ceramic science, also from MIT.

For more information on Professor Handwerker and her research, visit her website at https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/Fac_Staff/Faculty/Handwerker.wshtml.