Download PDF Fall Bridge on the Materials Genome Initiative September 29, 2025 Volume 55 Issue 3 The Fall 2025 issue explores the Materials Genome Initiative’s progress and future outlook, showcasing advances in autonomous experimentation, sustainable polymers, next-generation batteries, and the broader role of AI in engineering. Editor in Chief's Note Transitions Wednesday, October 1, 2025 Author: Ronald M. Latanision With this issue we welcome two people to the work of the National Academy of Engineering. Tsu-Jae King Liu became the president of the NAE on July 1, 2025. Dr. Liu previously served as dean of the College of Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Admiral James O. Ellis Jr. USN (retired), the Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution is the new chair of the NAE Council. We also have a change at The Bridge. Kyle Gipson, who had been the editor since 2023, accepted a position with the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in June 2025. I am pleased to report, thanks to the NAE’s Director of Outreach and Communications Kristen Koehler, that David Butler has agreed to step in as the interim editor during this transition. David holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering with a specialization in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester. He completed his doctoral work in public policy analysis at Carnegie Mellon University and before coming to Washington, DC, served as a researcher at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and its School of Public Health. David is the J. Herbert Hollomon Scholar of the NAE and is the director of the Cultural, Ethical, Social, and Environmental Responsibility in Engineering Program. I am especially grateful to him for jumping into the breach on short notice. One lesson I learned first as an academic and later in the consulting world is that young people move—as they should—to follow opportunities for growth in their field. Such is the case with Kyle. Our loss at the NAE is ICCT’s gain, and I am confident he will prosper there, with his skills as a writer and editor on full display. A constant theme in Kyle’s interactions with the accomplished authors who contribute to The Bridge has been their profuse thanks for his ability to improve and clarify their writing. Kyle is a superb writer and editor, and he combines this talent with a civil and respectful approach to collaboration. I have enjoyed working with him enormously. So, Kyle: I will be watching. Don’t forget your roots at the NAE! The spring 2024 issue of The Bridge on the US metals industry, edited by Greg Olson and Aziz Asphahani, illustrated how computational materials science and engineering are leading the way in developing metallic materials that meet increasingly advanced design specifications. Computational materials science and engineering form the foundation of the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), which is the focus of the present issue and is reshaping mate.rials education and practice. In my Editor in Chief’s Note accompanying that issue,[1] I described the origins of MGI during President Obama’s administration. In this issue, edited by Amit Goyal, the transition to computational materials science and engineering represented by MGI is explored further. Amit, a respected member of the NAE, is the SUNY Empire Innovation Professor and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. He has assembled a superb group of contributors from government, national laboratories, and academia, all focused on increasing US global competitiveness by significantly accelerating the pace at which advanced materials are discovered, developed, and transitioned into manufactured products. Amit suggested hosting a webinar after publication to highlight the issue’s content—a very good idea that should stimulate interaction among our readers. Planning is under way, and we hope to debut it before the Winter issue appears in December. Finally, The Bridge continues its interview series with a conversation with engineer and author Ainissa Ramirez about her career and her recent book on the iconic engineer, acoustician, and inventor Jim West. I always enjoy these interviews, and this one was no exception. As always, I welcome your comments. Feel free to reach out to me at rlatanision@alum.mit.edu. [1] https://www.nae.edu/313365/Editor-in-Chiefs-Note-The- Materia ls-Genome-Initiative-Grows. About the Author:Ronald M. Latanision (NAE) is Neil Armstrong Distinguished Visiting Professor at Purdue University and editor in chief of The Bridge.