Engineer receives young professional award from global society
11/9/2021
By Gabrielle Stewart
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Andrea Argüelles, Penn State assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics, was selected as the 2021 American Society of Nondestructive Testing (ANST) Young NDT Professional Recognition award recipient.
Bestowed by the ASNT to one recipient a year, the award highlights initial career contributions in nondestructive testing — a critical component of quality control and safety checks in a variety of disciplines. Argüelles will be honored at the organization’s annual conference, to be held Nov. 15-18 in Phoenix, Arizona.
“This award puts my work at the intersection of ultrasound and materials science into perspective in the NDT field,” Argüelles said. “It recognizes contributions to ultrasound as a fundamental science.”
Argüelles primarily investigates how sound waves move through nonuniform media. These waves can be used in quality control to evaluate the strength and performance of manufactured parts or in research to aid the optimization of new materials; many NDT techniques involve the use of these waves to analyze matter without causing damage. In her NDT research, Argüelles examines ultrasonic wave patterns to learn about the behavior of a variety of materials, including additively manufactured, or 3D-printed, metal components and cold-sintered ceramics and composite structures.
Argüelles has been involved with ASNT since she was a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Through student networking opportunities, Argüelles was introduced to Shant Kenderian, director of the materials processing department at The Aerospace Corporation, who nominated Argüelles for the award. As a member of ASNT’s Research Council, she has helped organize research symposia and conference sessions.
The Young NDT Professional Recognition is presented to ASNT members with five to 10 years of active involvement in the NDT industry who have held memberships for at least five years. Nominees must be sponsored by an ASNT local section, council or committee.
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Andrea Argüelles was named the 2021 Young NDT Professional Recognition honoree. IMAGE: PENN STATE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
