The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology welcomes Dr. Hayk L. Khachatryan, a Fulbright Research Scholar from Armenia, to campus. The Fulbright Program, proposed by Senator J. William Fulbright in 1945, was implemented as a vehicle make connections between the United States and other countries in the aftermath of World War II. The Fulbright Scholar Program sends 800 scholars and professionals in a wide variety of fields each year to more than 140 countries.
Dr. Khachatryan, a lecturer (equivalent to assistant professor) at Armenia's Yerevan State University, will be working with Dr. Jan Puszynski, professor, chemical and biological engineering, on combustion synthesis of titanium diboride and zirconia composites. In addition, his research will include characterization and densification of resulting composite powders. These composites are very important for spacecraft technology and development of new protective tiles with improved ballistic performance for military vehicles. Also, these composite materials can be used as stable electrodes for high-temperature aluminum electrolysis in very corrosive environments.