Donald R. Askeland joined the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1970 after obtaining his doctorate in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Michigan. His primary interest has been in teaching, resulting in a variety of campus, university, and industry awards and the preparation of a materials engineering textbook. Dr. Askeland has also been active in research involving metals casting and metals joining, particularly in the production, treatment, and joining of cast irons, gating and fluidity of aluminum alloys, and optimization of casting processes. Additional work has concentrated on lost foam casting, permanent mold casting, and investment casting; much of this work has been interdisciplinary, providing data for creating computer models and validation of such models.