AGUSTIN HARTE
2024 ASNT Foundation Engineering
Undergraduate Scholarship winner
Agustin Harte is a junior at Penn State
University, studying Engineering Science
and Energy Engineering. Harte holds
leadership positions in the Society of
Hispanic Professional Engineers and the
Society of Engineering Science.
Harte also participates as an active
undergraduate researcher in the
Argüelles Research Group, which broadly
concerns itself with using ultrasound for
the nondestructive characterization of
materials. Harte recently traveled with
the group to the 186th Meeting of the
Acoustical Society of America and gave a
presentation on the use of ultrasonics in
dairy processing. Harte plans to pursue
graduate studies and continue research in
the field of nondestructive testing (NDT),
relating evaluations to the renewable
energy sector.
NADIA LAFONTANT
2024 ASNT Foundation Engineering
Undergraduate Scholarship winner
Nadia Lafontant is an undergraduate in
the School of Computing at Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC).
She is currently working in the Intelligent
Measurement and Evaluation Laboratory,
where she studies nondestructive evalu-
ation (NDE). Lafontant is also a teaching
assistant for the “Engineering Learning
Skills” course.
By developing AI models capable of
detecting faults in metals with unprec-
edented precision, Lafontant seeks to
address longstanding challenges in NDT,
such as limited inspection speed and
human error.
BROOKE LASTINGER
2024 ASNT Foundation Engineering
Undergraduate Scholarship winner
Brooke Lastinger is a junior at the
University of Florida, pursuing combined
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
Materials Science and Engineering.
Lastinger is the treasurer for Material
Advantage, the Materials Science and
Engineering student society, and a team
lead for the club’s design team, Ceramic
Mug Drop. Lastinger conducts under-
graduate research in the university’s
Quantum Materials Design Group, with
the goal of developing a practical and
nondestructive method of measuring
oxygen diffusion in oxide thin films for
nano-ionic technologies.
In 2023, Lastinger interned at Naval Air
Station Jacksonville’s (NAS JAX) Materials
Engineering Laboratory in their nonde-
structive inspection branch, where she
gained hands-on experience in five
NDT methods and performed service
life assessment protocols and material
engineering service requests on struc-
tural components of the Navy’s aircraft.
This summer, Lastinger returned to NAS
JAX where she is an intern for both the
nondestructive inspection and metallurgy
branches, working on failure analysis and
engineering investigations.
STUART KLEVEN
2024 Charles N. Sherlock Meritorious
Service Award winner Stuart Kleven
is a Quality Engineer and Responsible
Level III at Acuren–Alloyweld Inspection,
an NDT laboratory and metal finishing
and welding shop in Bensenville, Illinois,
serving critical industries including aero-
space, electronics, medical devices, and
forensics. He is an ASNT NDT Level III in
four test methods—radiographic testing
(RT), ultrasonic testing (UT), magnetic
particle testing (MT), and liquid penetrant
testing (PT)—as well an ASNT Fellow and
Mentoring Award recipient and an AWS
CWI (American Welding Society Certified
Weld Inspector). He has 51 years of NDT
experience in the commercial laboratory,
welding and fabrication, forging, and
nuclear power industries. Currently, he
serves on the ASTM (American Society
for Testing and Materials) E7 Committee
for RT, PT, MT, and UT. He also serves
on the board for the Chicago Section of
ASNT.
AWARDS&HONORS
|
SCOPE
ABOUT THE ENGINEERING
UNDERGRADUATE
SCHOLARSHIP
The Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship
is a cash award given by the ASNT Foundation,
currently US$3000 per award, that provides an
incentive to undergraduate students enrolled
in accredited US colleges and universities who
are pursuing NDT/E as their field of specialization.
ABOUT THE CHARLES N.
SHERLOCK MERITORIOUS
AWARD
The Charles N. Sherlock Meritorious Service
Award, given by ASNT, recognizes an indi-
vidual’s outstanding voluntary service to the
Society, through a single or aggregate activi-
ties, though not necessarily in any single year.
J U L Y 2 0 2 4 • M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N 73

The US
Department of
Commerce’s
National Institute
of Standards
and Technology
(NIST) has named
Kathryn L. Beers as the new director
of the agency’s Material Measurement
Laboratory (MML).
MML, one of NIST’s six research labo-
ratories, conducts measurement science
research in the chemical, biological,
and material sciences and contributes
technical expertise to the development
of standards. MML has more than 850
staff members and visiting scientists
performing fundamental and applied
research to advance measurement
science in ways that promote innovation,
protect health and safety, and improve
quality of life.
A polymer chemist by training, Beers
joined NIST as a National Academies/
National Research Council (NRC) postdoc
in 2000 after earning a PhD from
Carnegie Mellon University. She later
served as director of the Combinatorial
Methods Center in the Polymers Division
and led the Renewable Polymers
Project in the Polymers Division and the
Polymers and Complex Fluids Group in
the Materials Science and Engineering
Division.
Beers also served as deputy division
chief of the Polymers Division at NIST
and as the assistant director for physical
sciences and engineering in the White
House Office of Science and Technology
Policy. In 2020, she became manager of
the Circular Economy Program, which
focuses on standards and technologies
needed to support a more sustainable
economy.
The British
Institute of
Non-Destructive
Testing (BINDT)
has announced
the appoint-
ment of Corinne
Mackle to Deputy CEO, alongside
her current responsibilities as Head of
Publishing, Media, and Marketing and
Editor of the Institute’s publications. In her
new role, Mackle will deputize for CEO
David Gilbert both internally and exter-
nally as appropriate.
Mackle has been a member of the
Institute’s senior management team since
2012 and regularly attends meetings of
the Institute’s key committees and working
groups, including Council, to assist and
inform as the committees develop, refine,
and implement their strategic objec-
tives. She joined the Institute’s publishing
department in 2005 and has been instru-
mental in the continual development and
improvement of all publications, commu-
nications, and promotional activities. She
has served as editor of the Institute’s publi-
cations, including its journal, Insight, and
NDT News, since January 2018.
NDT Global
introduced Aly
M. Marson as
the latest addi-
tion to their team
of commercial
account execu-
tives in the US region. With over seven
years of experience at NDT Global,
Marson brings a wealth of knowledge to
the industry and a passion for educating
companies on ultrasonic inline inspections.
Ahmed Al-Dadah has departed his posi-
tion as Senior Vice President of Integrated
Solutions at KBR Inc. after six years with
the company. “At Integrated Solutions,
we grew our team to over 7000 strong
across the globe over the past few years,”
Al-Dadah said, “and through imple-
menting the Reimagine KBR strategy,
together we delivered outstanding
results through the team’s exceptional
performance and dedication.”
APPOINTMENTS
Barry
Schieferstein,
CAE, CMP,
DES, has been
promoted to
Chief Operating
Officer (COO) of
ASNT. Schieferstein joined ASNT in 2018
and served over six years as Director of
Events, playing a key role in planning and
executing significant events that boosted
the organization’s industry presence.
As COO, he will oversee and optimize
daily operations and revenue-generating
activities, excluding ASNT’s subsidiary
companies.
Before joining ASNT, Schieferstein
spent most of his adult life in retail sales
management. In 2013, he transitioned
to conference planning, discovering a
passion for orchestrating large-scale
events. His career in conference plan-
ning included positions with the Ohio
Department of Higher Education and
The Ohio State University, providing valu-
able experience and a solid foundation
for his role at ASNT. He is a Certified
Association Executive (CAE), Certified
Meeting Professional (CMP) by the Events
Industry Council, and certified Digital
Event Strategist (DES) by the Professional
Convention Management Association
(PCMA).
Nealy Wheat,
CAE, SPHR, took
on the role of
Chief Financial
and Administrative
Officer (CFAO)
at ASNT starting
this month. In this expanded position,
she is responsible for providing strategic
financial guidance, ensuring robust finan-
cial management, and overseeing the
administrative operations of ASNT and
its subsidiaries. Her oversight extends to
finance, human resources, marketing and
communications, business development,
and information technology functions.
Wheat joined the ASNT team in
January 2024, bringing over 20 years of
experience in association management
across a variety of sectors including
statewide trade and professional
organizations, international charities,
and chambers of commerce. She is a
Certified Association Executive (CAE)
and Senior Professional in Human
Resources (SPHR).
SCOPE
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PEOPLEWATCH
74
M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • J U L Y 2 0 2 4