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King of the MRS
OPINION
King of the MRS …Alex King Alex King, head of the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University,
that made way for the NSF’s funding to be doubled over the next five years.
came to the end of his term as president of the Materials Research Society
Have they celebrated? “We’ve had a few drinks, yes!”
(MRS) during the society’s Fall Meeting in December. In a year of highs and lows, he has overseen the MRS through changes in its governance, spearheaded the society’s lobbying in Washington at a time when a bill authorizing the doubling of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) budget was passed, and formed the response to the Hendrik Schön case. As he completed his last presidential tasks, King recounted some of his experiences to Materials Today.
The accusations and revelations that Hendrik Schön of Bell Laboratories had falsified data presented King with an unexpected challenge. “We had given an award to Schön early in the year. There were a number of calls from the media about that and they all came directly to my telephone.” However, despite the immediate difficulty of dealing with the press, he believes the MRS handled it in a professional manner. “I am actually pretty pleased with the way the media
But just what are those tasks and what is the role of an MRS president? Is he a
reported MRS’ role.”
figurehead, administrator, manager, or politician? “It’s a little bit of all of that. There’s no job description,” says King. “To some extent you create your own agenda and decide what you want to do with the society.” However, you do have to be a bit of a diplomat to get things done, he admits.
King thinks the whole affair was a shame, but points out that, with anything of any significance, people will try and reproduce it. He sees the correction of genuine errors, and also real falsifications, as part of progress in science. “A lot of people are suggesting that science has failed somehow because someone got
In his term, King built on work of his predecessor to restructure the governance
away with publishing some stuff that was false. There have been genuine errors
of the MRS and move from a council to a board of directors. “It was really a
published too. Isaac Newton published the corpuscular theory of light, which
change of name, but it was linked to a much deeper change in the way the
was complete hokum. It wasn’t that he falsified it, it was just the best he could
society is governed,” he explains. The board now focuses on long term strategic
understand it at the time. The community of science straightened it out.”
issues and hands over daily operations to action committees. King is keen to stress that this makes the society more agile and effective. This is a constant theme. In a time when many other societies are having difficulties in maintaining membership, King believes the MRS is not seeing a similar trend because of its agility. The MRS reinvents its technical program every six months and you don’t find people in leadership positions for long periods, he explains.
Other challenges have included the nagging problem of getting visas for foreign scientists traveling to MRS meetings. While the MRS is a nonprofit organization, the ‘business’ side of the job is also a strain. “Maintaining a competitive position, maintaining ties to the community, those are things that are not necessarily painful, but things that keep us occupied.”
Instead, someone else steps up, bringing a new vision. “It’s the constant
However, it is obvious from the way King talks that these challenges have been
rethinking, constant renewal of what we do that, I think, is what keeps it fresh,
more than matched by positive experiences. “I got to travel to Rio for the
keeps it current, and keeps it relevant.”
inauguration of the Brazilian Materials Research Society – that was fun!” He will miss the MRS staff as well. “They are just fantastic,” he says and relates one
“The other thing I’ve done a lot this year is visit Washington to, shall we say,
inform our representatives of the need to fund the physical sciences,” says King.
favorite story where a visit to the MRS headquarters at the beginning of the year turned into in a mock coronation ceremony!
Describing this as a tremendous learning experience, it is clear he enjoyed much
64
of it. “It’s persistence. It’s timing. It’s understanding what drives these elected
So what’s next? “Stop and breathe!” he says immediately. His students may
officials to want to do anything.” Realizing that they were beginning to have an
also wish to know that he intends to reacquaint himself with them. And there
impact in Washington was one of his best experiences of the year. Each time
are also challenges waiting at Purdue. A new nanotechnology facility is on the
they went back, they got a better reception. And their lobbying efforts have
way, and a new building is being constructed for the expanding materials
been repaid by results. King clearly still relishes having been part of the team
department. “I’m not going to be bored,” he laughs.
March 2003
King of the MRS …Alex King Alex King, head of the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University,
that made way for the NSF’s funding to be doubled over the next five years.
came to the end of his term as president of the Materials Research Society
Have they celebrated? “We’ve had a few drinks, yes!”
(MRS) during the society’s Fall Meeting in December. In a year of highs and lows, he has overseen the MRS through changes in its governance, spearheaded the society’s lobbying in Washington at a time when a bill authorizing the doubling of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) budget was passed, and formed the response to the Hendrik Schön case. As he completed his last presidential tasks, King recounted some of his experiences to Materials Today.
The accusations and revelations that Hendrik Schön of Bell Laboratories had falsified data presented King with an unexpected challenge. “We had given an award to Schön early in the year. There were a number of calls from the media about that and they all came directly to my telephone.” However, despite the immediate difficulty of dealing with the press, he believes the MRS handled it in a professional manner. “I am actually pretty pleased with the way the media
But just what are those tasks and what is the role of an MRS president? Is he a
reported MRS’ role.”
figurehead, administrator, manager, or politician? “It’s a little bit of all of that. There’s no job description,” says King. “To some extent you create your own agenda and decide what you want to do with the society.” However, you do have to be a bit of a diplomat to get things done, he admits.
King thinks the whole affair was a shame, but points out that, with anything of any significance, people will try and reproduce it. He sees the correction of genuine errors, and also real falsifications, as part of progress in science. “A lot of people are suggesting that science has failed somehow because someone got
In his term, King built on work of his predecessor to restructure the governance
away with publishing some stuff that was false. There have been genuine errors
of the MRS and move from a council to a board of directors. “It was really a
published too. Isaac Newton published the corpuscular theory of light, which
change of name, but it was linked to a much deeper change in the way the
was complete hokum. It wasn’t that he falsified it, it was just the best he could
society is governed,” he explains. The board now focuses on long term strategic
understand it at the time. The community of science straightened it out.”
issues and hands over daily operations to action committees. King is keen to stress that this makes the society more agile and effective. This is a constant theme. In a time when many other societies are having difficulties in maintaining membership, King believes the MRS is not seeing a similar trend because of its agility. The MRS reinvents its technical program every six months and you don’t find people in leadership positions for long periods, he explains.
Other challenges have included the nagging problem of getting visas for foreign scientists traveling to MRS meetings. While the MRS is a nonprofit organization, the ‘business’ side of the job is also a strain. “Maintaining a competitive position, maintaining ties to the community, those are things that are not necessarily painful, but things that keep us occupied.”
Instead, someone else steps up, bringing a new vision. “It’s the constant
However, it is obvious from the way King talks that these challenges have been
rethinking, constant renewal of what we do that, I think, is what keeps it fresh,
more than matched by positive experiences. “I got to travel to Rio for the
keeps it current, and keeps it relevant.”
inauguration of the Brazilian Materials Research Society – that was fun!” He will miss the MRS staff as well. “They are just fantastic,” he says and relates one
“The other thing I’ve done a lot this year is visit Washington to, shall we say,
inform our representatives of the need to fund the physical sciences,” says King.
favorite story where a visit to the MRS headquarters at the beginning of the year turned into in a mock coronation ceremony!
Describing this as a tremendous learning experience, it is clear he enjoyed much
64
of it. “It’s persistence. It’s timing. It’s understanding what drives these elected
So what’s next? “Stop and breathe!” he says immediately. His students may
officials to want to do anything.” Realizing that they were beginning to have an
also wish to know that he intends to reacquaint himself with them. And there
impact in Washington was one of his best experiences of the year. Each time
are also challenges waiting at Purdue. A new nanotechnology facility is on the
they went back, they got a better reception. And their lobbying efforts have
way, and a new building is being constructed for the expanding materials
been repaid by results. King clearly still relishes having been part of the team
department. “I’m not going to be bored,” he laughs.
March 2003