Dr. Dianne Chong

Washington State University Material Advantage chapter hosts ASM International Vice President

Dr. Dianne Chong, ASM International Vice President, recently visited the Washington State University chapter of Material Advantage on the WSU campus, where she told students about her work at The Boeing Company and the importance of materials engineering to the company’s business.

On the recommendation of ASM Student Trustee Molly Kennedy, the WSU chapter invited Dr. Chong to speak about being a materials science engineer at Boeing and how ASM International works withs student chapters.

Dr. Chong visited with faculty and administrators in WSU’s College of Engineering and the School Mechanical and Materials Engineering, as well as with Material Advantage advisor Dr. David Bahr and the club officers.  In the evening, Dr. Chong spoke to an audience of about 50 students. She told them about the integral role that material scientists play at Boeing and the relationship between materials engineering and other programs within the large company. After the talk, she answered questions from students about the company, mentoring, career opportunities in materials science, and the Materials Advantage program. 

In addition to students from WSU’s Material Advantage, several members of the nearby University of Idaho Material Advantage chapter, and members of the WSU student chapters of Society of Women Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Materials Research Society also attended.  After Dr. Chong’s talk, the attendees feasted on a wonderful catered Mexican dinner while getting the chance to socialize with each other and Dr. Chong on a more personal level. 

Students also met with Dr. Chong in small groups of three to five, providing feedback and recommendations about the Material Advantage program and telling her about student life in MSE at WSU.  In addition, Dr. Chong gave the students advice about succeeding as an engineer both professionally and as a Boeing employee. 

Dr. Chong’s visit ended with a campus tour. Students took her to Ferdinand’s Creamery on campus, where she received WSU’s famous Cougar Gold Cheese as a token of appreciation for her visit.  The visit was truly a great opportunity for the chapter to learn about Boeing and ASM.  In particular, students were impressed to learn that the leaders of ASM are approachable and interested in students’ points of view.  This was very encouraging and generated new enthusiasm and excitement in the chapter for future dealings with ASM.