Earth and Mineral Sciences

Materials Science and Engineering professor receives MRS Impact Award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Kwadwo Osseo-Asare, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering and energy and geo-environmental engineering, has received the Materials Research Society’s 2022 MRS Impact Award.  

The honor recognizes individuals who have displayed excellence in science communication, education, advancing diversity, mentoring or community engagement, according to MRS.

“Being named the recipient of this award was an honor,” Osseo-Asare said. “I am thankful the society recognizes the importance of diversity, mentoring and communication in science in a meaningful way.”

The society cited Osseo-Asare for his “sustained contributions to building a global materials science and engineering community that spans continents from Africa to the Americas.”

Osseo-Asare received the award in May at the society’s spring meeting in Hawaii. He presented a talk titled with a proverb from his native Ghana, “Kεji tsɔ kome kpee kɔɔyɔɔ lε ekuɔ,” which translates to, “When a single tree encounters strong wind, it breaks.”

“We are not single trees in a forest,” he said. “Our mentors, colleagues and students are all part of an academic family group. I want my students to always remember; it’s not just about them, it’s about us.”

Osseo-Asare is a leader in the field of aqueous processing, and his work has applications to materials synthesis and processing, hydrometallurgy and environmental systems.

In 2004, he was elected a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering for pioneering contributions to the understanding of extraction processes. He was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in 2015 for pioneering contributions to aqueous processing of materials, particularly in the development of aqueous phase diagrams and in the fundamental understanding of interfacial phenomena applied to metal extraction, chemical mechanical polishing and microemulsion mediated nanoparticle synthesis. In addition, he served as editor-in-chief of Hydrometallurgy from 1998 to 2010.

Penn State has recognized his work with several awards, including the Faculty Scholar Medal in Engineering and the Wilson Award for Excellence in Research.

Osseo-Asare began his career at Penn State in 1976. Prior to that, he worked at the Amax Extractive Research Laboratories in Golden, Colorado, as a research metallurgist and project leader, where he developed technologies for nickel and cobalt extraction and refining.

He attended secondary school at Achimota School, a boarding school in Ghana. He received a bachelor of science degree in 1970, a master of science degree in 1972 and a doctoral degree in 1975, all in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Osseo-Asare has served as visiting professor at universities in Australia, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, Japan, South Africa and Tanzania, and as a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He is senior adviser for Penn State’s Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering and Design with Africa. His blog, aqueousolutions, focuses on science, technology and sustainable development. Lately, he has been experimenting with teaching and learning engineering with African proverbs, including “Isikhuni esingaziwayo asithezwa,” which translates to, “You do not burn a log from a tree you do not know.”

Last Updated June 7, 2022

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