Dr. Louise Ami Ahure Powell leads the Hardness Standardization Project. She manages the Hardness Standardization Facility and develops programs to ensure national and international consistency in hardness measurements. Her work supports the calibration of hardness reference materials and standardizing machines, contributing to the accuracy and reliability of mechanical property measurements across industries. Dr. Ahure Powell represents the U.S. on international standards committees focused on hardness testing and plays a key role in the development and maintenance of standards through collaboration with global metrology and quality systems organizations.
Dr. Ahure Powell has a strong technical background in composite materials, with prior research experience using digital image correlation (DIC) for strain mapping and fluorescence microscopy to study damage mechanisms at the microscale.
Beyond her technical work, Dr. Ahure Powell is actively engaged in professional societies, including being a Voting Director and a mentor for the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE).
Research Interests:
Material characterization, mechanical testing, hardness testing, instrumented indentation testing
Professional Activities:
ASTM International Emerging Professional, 2024
NIST NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2018) centrally funded
Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) Hal Andrews Scholarship, 2009
Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) University Research Symposium Winner, 2009
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Research Award Recipient, 2009