Dr. Hihara is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He has a Ph.D. in Metallurgy from M.I.T. Dr. Hihara’s research interests include corrosion behavior of advanced materials in Hawaii’s micro-climates, corrosion behavior of SiC/Al, boron carbide/Al, alumina/Al, and Si/Al metal-matrix composites, corrosion of microelectromechanical systems, and materials compatibility of metal alloys coupled to polymer-matrix and ceramic-matrix composites. He has published extensively in the areas of corrosion science and coatings.