J. F. Herbst
Chemical Sciences and Materials Systems Laboratory
General Motors R&D Center

Jan Herbst is a Principal Research Scientist and Laboratory Group Manager at the General Motors R&D Center in Warren, Michigan. He received a BA and MS in physics from the University of Pennsylvania (1968) and a PhD in physics from Cornell University (1974). He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. For his work on neodymium-iron-boron magnet materials he shared the 1986 American Physical Society International Prize for New Materials and has also received the John M. Campbell and Charles L. McCuen Awards from the GM Research Laboratories and the Kettering Award from General Motors Corporation. He is a self-avowed "rare earth nut".

 

 

Steve Constantinides
Director of Technology
Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corporation

Steve Constantinides is Director of Technology, Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corporation. Steve solicits and performs research, engineering and project work associated with Arnold Magnetic Technologies’ permanent and soft magnetics businesses.

He is a graduate of Alfred University in Ceramic Engineering. Prior experience includes 12 years with Corning Inc. involved with glass ceramics, combustion systems design and manufacturing management systems. He then joined tungsten carbide manufacturer GTE Valenite (now part of Sandvik AB) and was responsible for modernization and operation of over 40 vacuum and atmosphere heat-treating furnaces at plants in the US, Canada and France. In 1988 he joined Crucible Magnetics as Manager of Technology and Quality Assurance responsible for technical oversight of the manufacture of rare earth and alnico magnets. For the last 19 years, Steve has been employed at Arnold and has promoted the use of rare earth, alnico, ferrite and bonded magnets and soft magnetic alloy strip and foils through product development, applications engineering, and customer relations.

 

 

Eric Summers
Director of Materials Engineering
ETREMA Products, Inc.

Eric Summers is the Director of Materials Engineering at ETREMA Products, Inc., and has been with the company since 2003. His job responsibilities include managing the manufacture of Terfenol-D alloys and leading research activities involving Magnetically Activated Smart Materials. Mr. Summers is the Program Manager and PI for several Office of Naval Research (ONR) contracts focusing on magnetostrictive alloy development, process and manufacturing advancements, establishment of characterization methods, and applications development utilizing magnetostrictive materials. Currently, his primary focus has been on transitioning and advancing Galfenol materials and device technologies. In addition, Mr. Summers assists in business development activities actively looking for new funding opportunities and developing relationships with key clients who desire to integrate magnetostrictive technologies into their products.

Mr. Summers is a member of TMS and ASM International, regularly contributing to peer-reviewed journals and presenting the latest research results on magnetostrictive technologies. In addition, Mr. Summers has been an invited speaker at several conferences discussing subjects such as magnetic materials, smart materials, and magnetostrictive devices. Currently, Mr. Summers is serving as the chair of the Industrial Advisory Board for the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at Iowa State University.

 

 

Mark A. Smith
President, CEO and Director
Molycorp, Inc.

Mark A. Smith serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Molycorp, Inc., and is a member of the Board of Directors and a shareholder. He has been involved in the operation and development of the Mountain Pass, California Rare Earth Facility for more than 24 years, and has more than 29 years of experience in the mining industry. Mr. Smith is one of the rare earth industry's leading global spokesmen, and is a frequent speaker and lecturer at conferences around the world, on national and international news media programs, and before U.S. government agencies and the U.S. Congress.

Prior to leading Molycorp, Mr. Smith was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Chevron Mining Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation. Appointed to that position in April 2006, Mr. Smith oversaw all operations of Chevron Mining's five mines, including the Mountain Pass Rare Earth Facility. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Smith was a Vice President for Unocal Corporation, where he was responsible for managing the real estate, remediation, mining, and carbon divisions. Mr. Smith worked for Unocal for over 22 years. In addition to serving as a Director for Molycorp, Mr. Smith serves on the Boards of Directors for Avanti Mining, Inc. and Talison Lithium, Ltd. He also serves on the Boards of the National Mining Association, the Northwest Mining Association, and the Western Business Roundtable.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering from Colorado State University in 1981 and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Western State University, College of Law, in 1990. He is a registered professional engineer and an active member of the State Bar of California and Colorado. Mr. Smith and his wife live in Denver, Colorado.