He received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Manhattan College and master's and Ph.D. degrees in sanitary engineering from the University of Michigan. He served on the faculties of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of North Carolina, was a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer at Harvard University, and a visiting professor at the California Institute of Technology and the Swiss Federal Institute for Water Resources and Water Pollution Control. He was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 1989 and received the Gordon Maskew Fair Medal for environmental engineering education from the Water Environment Federation in 1993. O'Melia's research interests are in colloidal stability in natural and technological systems. His appointment become effective on July 1.
Most metals crystallize as they cool from a molten state to a solid form.
Their atoms form a highly organized spatial pattern known as a lattice. Metallic glasses exhibit unique qualities such as superior strength, elasticity, and magnetic properties. With funding from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army Research Office, Hufnagel is working to create a new metallic glass that will remain solid and not crystallize at higher temperatures, making it useful for engine parts. Although their characteristics are still under study, metallic glasses have applications in many areas, including electric transformers and even golf clubs. Hufnagel was recently quoted on his research in the June issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine.