Join us for complimentary dinner and discussion with Georgia Tech Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Dr. Mary Lynn Realff. Dr. Realff received her BS Textile Engineering from Georgia Tech and her PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Polymer Science & Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At Georgia Tech, she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the mechanics of textile structures and polymer science areas. Dr. Realff has made a significant contribution to the understanding of the mechanical behavior of woven fabrics. She is continuing her work in modeling the mechanical behavior of textile structures utilizing both theoretical and experimental approaches. She currently conducts research on the analysis and design of fibers containing carbon nanotubes.

Dr. Realff is the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech and a Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Women, Science and Technology. She also facilitates a student/industry mentoring program which matches industry mentors with Georgia Tech undergraduate students for 9 month mentoring relationships. The program has been shown to increase the retention of students.

Dr. Realff is a member of The Fiber Society, American Association of Textile Colorists and Chemists, the American Society of Engineering Educators, and the Society of Women Engineers. She is currently Fellow and a nominee on the Board of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Dr. Realff is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, on the board of the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, GA and volunteers at Inman Middle School (directing the GEMS girls’ science club) and at Buckhead Church. She lives in Atlanta with her husband (a professor at Georgia Tech) and two children.