Tiffany A. Biles
NASA Glenn Research Center
Materials Research Engineer

Who I am ...

My name is Tiffany Biles and I am a Materials Research Engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. I have the privilege of developing new materials that will revolutionize not only aircraft engines, but hopefully can lead to improvements in everyone’s daily life. I currently work with shape memory alloys, very unique metals that have the ability to remember their original shape after they have been bent and reheated. (For example, imagine a paperclip. Completely straighten the paperclip, and then throw it into boiling water and it reconfigures itself back into the paperclip shape.) Smart materials such as shape memory alloys currently have numerous applications in all parts of everyday life, such as hot water scald prevention devices, coffeemakers, fire sprinkler systems, medical devices and actuators. The goal of my team is to expand the temperature range in which these metals can be used by developing a new alloy to be put into an engine and even more household devices. How’s that for being cutting edge and cool?

Where I came from ...

I was born and raised in Dublin, Ohio, (near Columbus) and from there went to Purdue University for my undergraduate degree. I spent four years in West Lafayette, Indiana, and graduated with my B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2002. I then moved to Cleveland, and I am currently working on my masters degree in Materials Engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

How I got to my current position...

Hard work, little sleep, and macaroni & cheese helped me get to my current position! Actually, I had a great deal of experience before I came here to NASA, academically and industrially. I interned at companies during my summer breaks from college, and this really helped me to get ahead in class work and for the future. I learned the basics of Materials Engineering at a steel processing plant after my freshman year, I got to tear apart large diesel engines (the size of bedrooms!!) at Caterpillar for about two years, and finally, in my last year, I took an internship with NASA Glenn, which enabled me to get a job here after graduation.

What else I do ...

I keep myself very busy outside of work with lots of fun things. I love to take road trips, travel to see my friends all over the nation, and go to concerts. During the summer months, I like to attend music festivals and go fishing, camping, or biking. I play in the softball and volleyball leagues here at NASA Glenn as well. I also enjoy just relaxing and hanging out at home with my puppy Frodo.

I do a great deal of work with ASM, a professional society for people in Materials Engineering. I am the Cleveland Chapter Chair of the Student Affairs Committee, and I am on the ASM National Committee for Student Affairs as well. I have a great time coordinating events with local students and teachers and being able to share my enthusiasm about science and engineering. I’ve served as a mentor for young science fair students and even judged science fairs as well.

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