Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis | 2019
IMS Journal Wants Your Input
Abstract
1 United Technologies Research Center, 411 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT 06108, USA Hard to believe, but Metallography, Microstructure, and Analysis (MMA), the official publication of the International Metallographic Society, is already in its eighth year of publication. We have been fortunate to experience growth in submissions each year since the journal began, and hopefully this trend continues. Article download data tells us that the “Mystery Micro”— where readers are asked to identify a material based on a microstructure and a simple clue—is one of the most popular features. The journal’s editorial staff occasionally provides the micrograph for the Mystery Micro, but we would much prefer to highlight the work of our readers. A frequent misconception that prevents some from contributing their micrographs is the notion that we are only interested in images of unique materials or of complicated microstructures. To the contrary, we prefer to publish micrographs from common materials that are frequently encountered, as these tend to receive more responses from our readers! MMA is always looking for more micrographs for the Mystery Micro. Please consider submitting one of your micrographs to the journal and encouraging your colleagues to do the same. The submission process is simple. You can email the image (preferably in .jpeg or .tif format) directly to me, along with a “clue” and an explanation of the microstructure and the imaging conditions. We will also need your name and affiliation in order to give proper credit when the image is run in the journal. This is a great way to get some publicity for your metallography and microscopy work. Please consider submitting today! Another feature with high download rates is our student interview piece, “Dialogue with Emerging Engineers.” This recent addition to the journal lineup provides students working in the fields of metallography or microscopy with an opportunity to discuss their interests and research activities. It is also a great way for our readers to stay abreast of the research underway at various universities around the world. Students in our fields are doing amazing work, and MMA is happy to provide this forum for showcasing their efforts. If you are a student currently utilizing metallography or microscopy for your research, and would like to be featured in this piece, let me know. For those of us already out of school, please consider your network and let me know of any students who may be interested in being interviewed. Your suggestions are needed! The “Mystery Micro” and “Dialogue with Emerging Engineers” features in MMA provide an opportunity for members of our community to share their work with a wider audience. I look forward to receiving one of your micrographs and hearing your ideas for potential participants in our interview series.