Written by: Larry D Frost March 15, 2012 The College of Engineering is pleased to announce that Professor Jeffrey L. Evans, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering has received the National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award. This is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of integrated contributions to research and education. Dr. Evans will investigate the influence of temperature and material synthesis methodologies on the mechanical behavior of nickel and nickel-based superalloys. With increased thermal efficiency demands on land-based power systems and aircraft engines, the demand for materials capable of operating reliably and safely under extreme environmental, and thermomechanical conditions is constantly on the rise. The operating conditions tend to be in regimes where several time-dependent damage mechanisms, such as creep deformation, oxygen diffusion, and crack tip oxidation, can operate during cyclic loading and during the dwell period. His research will help elucidate fundamental mechanisms governing time-dependent damage and degradation. His research is integrated with educational activities in a number of innovative ways and impacting a large range of educational levels, from K-12 to graduate student training. The central component of his K-12 educational outreach is a program termed Metal Madness. The Metal Madness program will be presented in middle school classrooms and will have age-appropriate basic curriculum in what metals are and how they behave. The initial target audience for this program will be middle schools in the north Alabama region. Dr. Evans received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and his Ph.D. in Engineering, both from the University of Arkansas in 2004 and 2008, respectively. He was appointed to his current position at UAH in 2008. In 2010, he received the Keith J. Miller Young Investigator Award from the ASTM Committee on Fatigue and Fracture. Dr. Evans is a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) in the state of Arkansas.
