Spring 2024 message from MS&E chair Izabela Szlufarska

Greetings from Madison!

I hope this newsletter finds you well. We’ve had quite the busy start to spring as we celebrate the end of the semester in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Our department continues to grow. We are thrilled to welcome Assistant Professor Sebastian Kube, who joined our faculty in January 2024. He is using automation to accelerate discovery and testing of new advanced materials.

We’ve been diligently working to boost our undergraduate enrollment by increasing our visibility on a global scale. With the anticipated higher enrollment, it is my great pleasure to see the approval of a new engineering building. With the construction of this new building, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering will acquire much needed space for upgraded undergraduate laboratories, which will expand MS&E’s presence on the engineering campus.

We’re excited to share several upcoming events for our alumni and friends that may pique your interest. This summer we plan to hold an MS&E Virtual Town Hall, where I will provide an update from the department and a few of our faculty will share examples of impactful stories from their research. In August, we will be also hosting an alumni ice cream social, a great opportunity to reconnect and reminisce while enjoying a beautiful view of Lake Mendota from the terrace at Memorial Union. And don’t forget Fill the Hill, which happens in early October.

We are always interested in hearing about you and your many accomplishments since graduating. If you have any news or stories that you would like to share with us and that we may include in future newsletters or social media, please email them to our department’s administrative manager Cheryl Harris (cjharris5@wisc.edu). We also encourage you to stay connected via our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) to hear about all of the new and exciting things happening in the department.

As you read more about our department’s accomplishments, keep in mind that our successes would not be possible without you, our incredible alumni and friends. Your support is essential to the continued growth of our department.

On, Wisconsin!

Izabela Szlufarska
Harvey D. Spangler Professor of Engineering
Department Chair