ORNL: Amy Elliott receives ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Award

Amy Elliott, a group leader for robotics and intelligent systems at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has received the 2021 ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Young Professional Award for her early career research contributions and leadership. The annual recognition, which was presented virtually in November during the International Conference on Additive Manufacturing, honors researchers involved in materials science and development.

At ORNL, Elliott is a scientific leader in the field of inkjet-based 3D printing of metals and ceramics, a technology designed to enhance and transform advanced manufacturing in the automotive, aerospace, and power generating sectors. Her inventions have been licensed by industry and have won prestigious awards including the R&D 100 Award. She also holds several patents and licenses including a method for 3D metal printing and additive manufacturing of aluminum boron carbide metal composites.

“I am very honored to receive this recognition from ASTM,” Elliott said. “These types of early-career awards are critical for attracting and retaining young women and other underrepresented groups to science and research. I appreciate ASTM’s commitment to supporting a new generation of researchers in the early stages of their careers.”

Elliott’s previous recognitions include serving as an American Association for the Advancement of Science If/Then Ambassador, which earned her a life-sized 3D printed statue among 120 ambassadors on temporary display in Dallas, Texas. She was also named one of the top 20 women in robotics from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. Elliott was recently awarded the 2021 Tennessee Valley YWCA Tribute to Women Award in the category of science, technology and environment and was also named to the 40 Under 40 Knox.biz class, recognizing industry innovators.

“Amy is a dynamic researcher, who has not only led breakthrough achievements in advanced manufacturing, but also serves as a role model for future generations through mentoring and giving countless talks to students and professional groups about her path to engineering,” said ORNL’s Lonnie Love, section head for precision manufacturing and machining.

In addition to her research career, Elliott was a cast member of the Discovery Channel’s reality TV show The Big Brain Theory, where she placed second out of 10 contestants. From there, she was recruited by the Science Channel to co-host Outrageous Acts of Science. She has also traveled the world to co-host the RoboNation TV web series. Elliott earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech.