January 13, 2009 — Three Viterbi School faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of their outstanding contributions in science and engineering.

Materials scientist Terence Langdon was honored for “distinguished contributions to the field of materials science, especially in pioneering the processing and properties of ultra fine-grained and nanostructured materials.”

Terence Langdon

Langdon, who holds joint appointments in aerospace and mechanical engineering, materials science and earth sciences (the latter at USC College), leads a group seeking to engineer unusually fine-grained metals. Such materials exhibit far greater strength and toughness than some of their coarse-grained counterparts.

In particular, Langdon studies the phenomenon of superplasticity, a malleable state in metals similar to the softening of glass at high temperature. Working with his students, Langdon has greatly reduced the time required to shape metal parts using superplastic forming.

Aristides Requicha, professor of computer science, was honored for “pioneering contributions to research and education in solid modeling and nanorobotics.”

The tradition of AAAS fellows began in 1874. Members are considered for the rank of fellow if nominated by the steering group of their respective sections, by three fellows or by the association’s chief executive officer. The AAAS council votes on the final list.

AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the prestigious journal Science. The society was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science serving 10 million individuals.