Steve Shaffer Email & Phone Number

8-Nov-2023 Update: Today was a gratifying day of “giving back” for me, having two separate volunteer mentoring efforts in one day. In the morning I gave a guest lecture, “Turning the Tribo-system into a Tribo-test”, to Prof. Ashlie Martini’s ME 129 class, followed by some help in the lab with her students and various tribometer questions and issues. I then spent time with each of her graduate students to learn about their theses projects and provide some constructive input where I could. In the evening I switched gears to participate in the Calaveras County K-12 school system’s “Dinner with a Scientist” program, where I introduced four separate groups of 4th-6th graders and their teachers to the field (and my love) of Tribology. It was very rewarding to see their eyes light up with enthusiasm and connection as they learned some tribology history and stories to which they could relate. Hopefully this STEAM effort was successful in guiding a few more young bright minds into our field, which we all know is key to a reduction in energy consumption and associated care-taking of our home planet, Earth.February, 2023: Having just returned from Scotland and the most memorable month-long period in my life, during which our 20-man contingency for USA Curling won the coveted Herries-Maxwell trophy after more than 132 total curling matches against the Scots, I received news that I have been named a Fellow of STLE for 2023. I am both honored and humbled by this award. Guess I'm a doubly "Jolly Good Fellow".May, 2022: The patent (US # 11313777) for the development of the improved HFRR setup was awarded. To be honest, my colleague Dr. Giovanni Ramirez, did the majority of the work, but it was a team effort nonetheless, and I'm proud of the results.December, 2021: My Tribology Lab and consulting business has been up and running for a year now, and is doing well. At the ASTM G02 meeting last week, our first in-person meeting in nearly two years, I was surprised and honored to be awarded the ASTM Award of Merit, and named a Fellow of ASTM. My colleagues serenaded me with a round of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", jolly good., indeed.Sept. 2021, I received in the mail the 2019 Reviewer of the Year Award from ASME's Journal of Tribology. While the delivery was delayed by Covid... better late than never, and it is hanging proudly in my lab.Dec. 2019, after 7 years with Bruker and 23 years at Battelle Memorial Institute, I am now on a new career path, doing consulting, as well as lecturing, and reviewing/editing technical papers.