Chapter Information

About Us

We are the Eastern Virginia Chapter of ASM International.  Our region runs from the North Carolina line in the south to Fredericksburg in the north, and Charlottesville in the west to the Altantic coast in the east (zip codes starting with 224, 225, and 230-238.)

There are two ASM National Historical Landmarks within our region.  The first is the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, designated as such in 1976.  It was also designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior in 1983.  The facility was the second most prolific manufacturer of cannons during the US Civil War despite operation at one third capacity due to the Union sea and land blockades.  It was also responsible for the fabrication of the armor for one of the first ironclad ships, the CSS Virginia.

The second Historical Landmark relates to another of the first ironclads, the USS Monitor.  The Battle of Hampton Roads between the Monitor and the Virginia in March of 1862 signaled two of the most significant changes to the character of naval warfare - armor cladding and the development of the revolving gun turret.  The commemorative plaque is in the Monitor Center at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News.

Our members are involved in:

• Shipbuilding (nuclear aircraft carriers, submarines, military ships) at Huntington - Ingalls

• Air and space craft at the Langley Research Center of NASA

• Basic and applied research involving radiation electron accelerators and free electron lasers

• at Jefferson Lab operated for the Department of Energy

• High tech materials such as single crystal turbine blades produced by Howmet in Newport News

• Recycling of aluminum and manufacturing at Aleris in the Richmond area

• Outdoor equipment manufacture at Stihl in Virginia Beach

• Much more . . .

As a result, our membership is rich with strong, diverse materials related talent.  We host numerous plant tours and technical events to encourage dialogue, and we promote social settings to allow for networking.

Our membership is also involved in supporting material science and engineering education.  In this regard we have provided numerous scholarships to students seeking material science and/or engineering related college degrees.  Some of the scholarships continue until the student graduates so long as they remain in a materials related curriculum and maintain a 3.0 GPA.

When funding allows, we also sponsor ASM's Teachers Camps which provide instruction to high school and middle school teachers in ways they can incorporate materials science and technology into their lessons.  The camps provide specific demonstrations for use in the classroom.

Please look through our website, examine our planned activities, and participate.

Chapter By-Laws

The latest revisions to our chapter By-Laws were approved at the regular meeting of the Chapter Executive Committee on August 28, 2007 and voted on by the general membership by way of proxy during October of 2007. They became effective after a tally of the members' votes at a meeting of the Chapter Executive Committee on October 25, 2007.

A PDF copy of the by-laws may be downloaded here.

Chapter History

The American Society for Metals has had a presence in eastern Virginia for some time. A formal request for the establishment of a Richmond Chapter ASM was made by petition to National HQ on October 28, 1957. This petition was accepted by the Board of Trustees on November 5, 1957, and an organizational meeting was held in the Reynolds Metals Company dining room on November 20, 1957. The Charter presentation was made at the April 2, 1958, National Officers Night meeting by President G. M. Young and Secretary "Bill" Eisenman.

Initial membership of the chapter was approximately 50. This increased in 1958 to 110 as Reynolds Metals Company transferred a number of its employees from Louisville. Significant membership increases also occurred as employees from the Newport News Shipbuilding Company and the Babcock and Wilcox Company (Lynchburg) joined the chapter. In 1962, membership stood at 148.

In 1963 members from Newport News Shipbuilding decided to start a chapter in the Tidewater area and 35 members were transferred from the Richmond Chapter. The name chosen was the Hampton Roads Chapter. In 1999, a request was made to ASM to merge the two Chapters again. This brought the combined membership to about 240. The new Chapter name chosen was the Eastern Virginia Chapter.

Regular meetings have been held on the second Tuesday of each month, September through May. Outstanding speakers have presented a wide variety of information about metals, ranging in subject matter from practical uses and properties to fundamental scientific. Three special meetings were an annual custom: Student-Teacher Night, Ladies Night (May) and the Chapter has each year been invited to participate in the Joint Engineers Meeting (February). In addition to its regular meetings, the chapter hosted the Southern Metals Conference in 1967 and continues to sponsor educational seminars with continuing educational credits (CEUs) and Professional Development Hours (PDHs).

Officers and members of our Chapter have been active in national affairs of ASM. They have participated in national Committee meetings, in meetings with officers of other chapters and have taught ASM courses at Materials Park. Also, members have been featured speakers at regular meetings of other chapters. The Chapter has been honored to have eight members elected to the ASM Fellow status.

Past Chairs: