Roger N. Wright, Professor Emeritus, School of Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has contributed broadly to the literature in the areas of metallurgy and metals processing, and is active as a short-course lecturer and consultant. Prior to joining Rensselaer, he was a senior staff member at Westinghouse Research Laboratories and at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation. He holds B.S. and Sc.D. degrees in metallurgy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is aregistered professional engineer and a fellow of ASM International and of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.