Biographical note

Dr. Donald R. Askeland joined the University of Missouri-Rolla (now the Missouri University of Science and Technology) in 1970 after obtaining his Ph.D. in metallurgical engineering from the University of Michigan. His primary interest is teaching, which has resulted in a variety of campus, university and industry awards as well as the development of this well-respected text. Dr. Askeland is also active in research involving metals casting and metals joining. His focus is primarily in the production, treatment and joining of cast irons, gating and fluidity of aluminum alloys and optimization of casting processes. Additional work has concentrated on lost foam casting, permanent mold casting and investment casting. Much of his work is interdisciplinary, providing data for creating computer models and validation of such models. Dr. Wendelin Wright is a professor at Bucknell University with a joint appointment in the departments of mechanical engineering and chemical engineering. She received her B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Stanford University. Dr. Wright previously served as a faculty member at Santa Clara University. Her research interests focus on the mechanical behavior of materials, particularly those of metallic glasses. She is the recipient of the 2003 Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching (Stanford University's highest teaching honor), a 2005 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and a 2010 National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Dr. Wright is a licensed professional engineer in metallurgy in California and a fellow of ASM International.