The science and aesthetics of aluminum had made their mark on Diana Lados at a young age. At only 4-years-old, Lados was learning how to perfect her tennis game with a wooden racket. By the time she was a championship player at 14, she had moved on to an aluminum racket. Lados, an assistant professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department and director of the Integrated Materials Design Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts, associates her understanding of materials in tennis, and their evolution, with materials used in other applications, particularly aerospace materials.

After starting her doctoral research at WPI, Lados developed a passion for creating beautiful artwork from pieces of cast aluminum found in WPI's foundry. Post-processing involved bending, hammering, coarse or mirror polishing, and selective area etching. At times, she would paint the pieces with vibrant colors and glue several pieces together to create the final shape to enhance specific features of the piece.

On occasion, Lados has used her creativity to shed light on certain features of her cast aluminum artwork using another one of her hobbies-photography. Her photography not only captures her cast aluminum artwork but also landmarks, nature, churches, as well as many objects and "catch the moment" shots.

Below is a link to Lados' Meet a Member feature in the September issue of JOM. In addition, many of her photographs can be viewed by clicking the attachments below.

September Meet a Member