PITTSBURGH - The keynote session of the Materials Science & Technology (MS&T) event will be held Monday, October 26, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, and features leading speakers on the subject of materials science and alternative energy.

Powering the Future: New Energy Opportunities for Materials Science and Engineering, the keynote session for this year’s conference, is sponsored by four leading materials societies: American Ceramic Society, Association for Iron and Steel Technology, ASM International, and the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS). MS&T will draw attendance from more than 72 countries and attracts the leaders in the materials community. The MS&T’09 Opening Session is centered around energy-focusing on policies, new technologies and funding opportunities related to materials science and engineering. It will take place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Dr. Jeff Wadsworth, chief executive officer and president, Battelle Memorial Institute, will open the session with his keynote presentation, “Forging the Solution to the Energy Challenge: The Role of Materials Science and Materials Scientists.” Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest nonprofit Research and Development Organization, executes about $5B of work annually and employs about 21,000 people. Dr. Steven Koonin, Undersecretary for Science, U.S. Department of Energy, will deliver the second keynote address. Koonin was nominated by U.S. President Barack Obama as the Undersecretary for Science for the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Koonin has served as chief scientist of BP, the world’s second largest independent oil company, since 2004.

For more information, visitwww.matscitech.org.