Takiya J. Ahmed Foskey, DuPont, will receive the Materials Research Soceity (MRS) Impact Award “for leadership, mentoring and substantive contributions toward creating and organizing educational opportunities to prepare the next generation, in particular underrepresented and economically disadvantaged youth, to strive for STEM education and careers and to be role models in the future.” Foskey joined DuPont’s Transportation and Industrial Adhesives business in 2018, after spending eight years as a research scientist with The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Mich. Prior to joining DuPont, she was a National Science Foundation (NSF) American Competitiveness in Chemistry Postdoctoral Fellow with the Center for Enabling New Technologies Through Catalysis at the University of Washington, researching biomass conversion with professors Karen Goldberg and D. Michael Heinekey.

Foskey is passionate about creating and implementing opportunities to educate and empower youth, and her leadership in STEM-related community outreach spans more than 15 years. Most recently, she served as the president of the Midland Chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), engaging families, teachers, community leaders, company executives, and colleagues in supporting and executing STEM programs in the Great Lakes Bay Region in Michigan, including science bowls, afterschool programs, summer camps, and STEM festivals. Foskey assists more than 150 local middle- and high-school students annually.

The MRS Impact Award honors outstanding individuals who have displayed excellence in areas of science communication, education, advancing diversity, mentoring, or community engagement, which reflect the Society’s pursuit to advance materials science and technology to improve the quality of life.