Born in Syracuse, New York, in 1929, Mert Flemings has been a member of the Course 3 family for over 50 years. He received the S.B. in 1951, the S.M. in 1952, and the Sc.D. Metallurgy in 1954, all in Metallurgy and all from MIT. He left MIT from 1954 to 1956 when he was employed as Metallurgist at Abex Corporation, Mahwah, New Jersey; following that employment, he returned to MIT to join the faculty as Assistant Professor. He was appointed Associate Professor in 1961, and Professor in 1969. He established and was the first director of the Materials Processing Center at MIT in 1979. He served as Head, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, from 1982 to 1995 and most recently was Co-Director at M.I.T. of the Singapore-M.I.T. Alliance.
Prof. Flemings is widely recognized for major contributions to the scientific understanding of solidification, a process important to the quality of many materials, from steel to semiconductors. The distinguishing feature of his career is his ability to translate these scientific advances into significant improvements of commercial metal processing techniques, and to invent new and better processes.
Out of Flemings' early work came the concept and practice of "Premium Quality" castings, which exhibit superior mechanical properties and greater reliability. His work on the fundamentals of solidification processes, which was the basis of a seminal paper on microsegregation, established the importance of directional solidification in castings, such as turbine blades, which allowed turbines to be run at higher temperatures and hence more efficiently. Based on his theoretical work he also invented a process for growing more homogeneous crystals, a process now applied in the production of more homogeneous steel continuous castings, and as the enabling technology in the production of large semiconductor single crystals. Through his work on dendrite structures he invented "Rheocasting" and "Semi-Solid Forming,” processes that are now in commercial production of many components for automobiles. His invention of a "foam vaporization" casting technique, used originally for art castings,is now used for commercial castings of automotive cylinder blocks, cylinder heads, and intake manifolds. Better, more reliable, and more affordable castings, the result of all of these developments, have benefited our society and have contributed to the competitiveness of numerous U. S. industries. Flemings' processes and process improvements influence the quality of products worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually.
His career spans over 40 years, encompassing 289 technical papers, 26 patents issued in the fields of solidification science and engineering, foundry technology, and materials processing., and two books. His work has involved teaching and collaborating with over 140 graduate students, many of whom now hold principal positions in industry and academia.
He holds memberships in many associations and has received the Simpson Gold Medal from the American Foundrymen's Society in 1961, the Mathewson Gold Medal of TMS in 1969, the Henry Marion Howe Medal of ASM International in 1973, and became a Fellow, ASM International in 1976. In 1977, he was awarded the Henri Sainte-Claire Deville Medal by the Societe Francaise de Metallurgie. In October 1978, he received the Albert Sauveur Achievement Award from ASM International. In 1980, he received the John Chipman Award from AIME. In 1984, he was elected an honorary member of the Japan Foundrymen's Society, and in 1985 received the James Douglas Gold Medal from the AIME. The Italian Metallurgical Association awarded him the Luigi Losana Gold Medal in 1986, and he was elected honorary member of The Japan Iron and Steel Institute in 1987. He was elected a TMS Fellow in 1989. In 1990, he received the TMS Leadership Award, the Henry Marion Howe Medal, and delivered the Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecture of ASM International. In 1991, he received the Merton C. Flemings Award from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Sigma Alpha Mu elected him a Distinguished Life Member in 1992. In 1993, he received the TMS 1993 Bruce Chalmers Award and was elected Councillor of Materials Research Society. He was elected to the ASM International Board of Trustees in 1994. He received the Acta Metallurgica J. Herbert Holloman Award in 1997 for "contributions to materials technology that have had major impact on society." Also in 1997 he was appointed David Turnbull Lecturer of the Materials Research Society for "outstanding contributions to understanding materials phenomena and properties"
Prof. Flemings’ position as Director of the MIT-Lemelson Program will allow him to continue nurturing young people in their exploration of science through the program’s awards for inventions and innovations and activities promoting invention and entrepreneurship.