The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia congratulates James T. Burns and Robert G. Kelly, who have earned NACE International's highest recognitions for teaching excellence and seminal research in corrosion science and engineering.Burns, associate professor of materials science and engineering, earned the 2021 H. H. Uhlig Award, the singular teaching award in corrosion science and engineering. This honor recognizes Burns' outstanding and innovative teaching at the graduate and undergraduate levels, especially his courses in corrosion fatigue and environment assisted cracking.
“Jimmy is an international expert in fracture and fatigue, leads an exemplary research group and stands at the forefront of all the important issues, challenges and test methods associated with corrosion fatigue and fracture,” said John R. Scully, Charles Henderson Chaired Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and department chair.
Burns has made graduate study an integral part of MSE's Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering research effort, ensuring UVA Engineering students possess the required skills to address industry needs.
“In the classroom and by his example, Jimmy instills the principles and applications of corrosion fatigue and fracture technology and motivates students to tackle these challenges throughout their career,” Scully said.
NACE has bestowed the Uhlig award on 20 gifted educators since its introduction in 1996, five of whom have ties to CESE.
“I'm honored to follow in John and Rob's footsteps,” Burns said. Scully earned the Uhlig award in 1997; Kelly's recognition came in 1999. Two Ph.D. alumni of the Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering, Rudy Buchhheit ('02) and Brian Connolly ('17), have also won the Uhlig award.
Kelly, AT&T Professor and professor of materials science, has earned the 2021 Willis Rodney Whitney Award for his significant contributions to corrosion science—the highest scientific award from the largest corrosion science and engineering society in the world. Past recipients compose a “who's who” in the corrosion science and engineering field including Norman Hackerman, Herbert Uhlig, U. R. Evans, N.D. Tomashov and Roger Staehle. Scully earned the Whitney award 2012.
Kelly has dedicated himself to developing and improving our understanding of corrosion processes and prevention for the past 35 years, including research conducted at the University of Manchester's Corrosion and Protection Center as a Fulbright Scholar and National Science Foundation/NATO Post-doctoral Fellow. His research encompasses metals, alloys, and nonaqueous and mixed solvents.
“Rob is a trail blazer in the application of finite element analysis to understand current, potential, and chemistry distributions in both time and space in corroding systems,” Scully said.
Kelly's localized corrosion research represents seminal work in this field. His studies of electrochemical and chemical conditions in localized corrosion sites in various alloy systems have elucidated important mechanisms to inform prediction of service performance. Additionally, he has combined atmospheric corrosion with understanding of pit stability to improve pit size parameters in models used by the U.S. Department of Energy. He has graduated over 25 PhD students and co-authored over 120 papers.
NACE International serves nearly 37,000 members in over 140 countries as the premier authority for corrosion control solutions, as stated on the organization's web site. NACE International and the Society for Protective Coatings recently merged to form the Association for Materials Protection and Performance.