George Pharr, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, spoke to nearly 100 students and faculty Oct. 22 as part of the Distinguished Engineering Lecture Series.

Pharr’s talk blended history, engineering and humor as he discussed nanoindentation and its acceptance as a tool for measuring and mapping the mechanical properties of thin films, thin surface regions and small volumes of material.

“Dr. Pharr’s talk on nanoindentation was outstanding and provided a great opportunity for students to hear from a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the pioneer of the technique,” said Vijay Vasudevan, chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “His path-breaking contributions, insights and experiences in nanomechanical characterization of materials are highly inspirational and have led to worldwide adoption of these techniques.”

Put on by both the College of Engineering and its Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the lecture was the third in the series following a year-and-a-half-long hiatus due to the pandemic.

“We very much enjoyed hearing from Dr. Pharr,” said Andrey Voevodin, associate dean of research for the College of Engineering. “The Distinguished Engineering Lecture Series is one of our premier events here at the College of Engineering, bringing top-caliber scientists and engineers from a variety of backgrounds, experiences and disciplines to interface with our students and faculty.”

The Distinguished Engineering Lecture Series seeks to bring esteemed speakers to UNT from across the nation to discuss their research and create a dialogue around innovations in engineering.