Michael Ernest Kassner

1950 - 2024

November 22, 1950 - August 18, 2024 Michael Ernest Kassner died at his home in Pasadena, California on August 18. He was 73. He is survived by his wife, Kelley Nichols, his nephew, Peter Jackson, his niece Lucy Jackson, his BFF, Andrea Hodge, and his three cats, Trubbles, Mickey, and Old Uncle Mudd. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Margaret Kennedy, Laura Christa and Claudia Kassner. Mike was the Dean's Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Professor of Chemical and Materials Science and Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Southern California.
Mike was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1950 to parents Ernest and Clara Kassner, and his early childhood was that of a typical military family, moving from Japan to Germany to New Jersey, finally settling in California where he spent much of the rest of his life.
Mike graduated with a B.S. in Engineering from Northwestern University in 1972. From 1972 to 1976 he served in the U.S. Navy as an engineering officer, rising to the rank of Ship Engineer. He received an MS in metallurgical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1977, and MS and PhD degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Stanford University in 1979 and 1981, respectively. He then joined the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory until 1990, becoming the head of the Physical Metallurgy and Welding Section. Between 1990 and 2003, he was a member of the faculty of Oregon State University, where he received the Chevron and the Northwest Aluminum Professorships of Mechanical Engineering.
Mike joined the USC faculty in 2003 and served as chair of the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering until 2009. Between 2009 and 2012, while on leave from USC, he became the Director of Research at the Office of Naval Research ("ONR") in Arlington, Virginia, While at ONR, Mike directed millions of dollars towards science-based education (STEM) for children of all backgrounds.
Upon returning to USC, Mike was awarded the CH Cho Chair. He also served as interim chair of the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science.
Mike authored or co-authored over 220 published articles and three books in the areas of fundamentals of creep plasticity in metals, the hot deformation of aluminum and aluminum alloys, and phase diagrams. In 2012, he was awarded the Meritorious Public Service Medal by the U.S. Navy, one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a private citizen. He received the USC Faculty Mentoring award in 2018 and the IIT Professional Achievement award in 2020. He was a Fellow of the American Society of Metals (ASM), a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2022, he received the Oleg D. Sherby Award from the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society for his research into the performance of materials at high temperature.
Mike was a deeply committed teacher who carefully and generously steered the work of his PhD and Post Doc students. Always quiet and self-effacing, he didn't easily reveal how strongly he felt about things, but Mike held no quality higher than honor, in his work, his relationships, or his personal conduct.
Mike and his wife Kelley met online in 2003 and were married in 2005 in Big Sur, California, where they spent some of their happiest years. Mike was an avid runner, surfer, and swimmer, and loved the hidden unspoiled areas of Northern California. At home, he collected the photographic works of Brett Weston and other photographers of the American West. He loved listening to the Delta blues, and watched several movies a week with Kelley; his favorite director was Stanley Kubrick. His favorite food was candy and he indulged his sugar habit guiltlessly. Despite his many and varied accomplishments, the kitchen remained a place of mystery for Mike; he could, however, make coffee in cases of extreme necessity. Although he and Kelley had no children, they had numerous nieces and nephews and god-children who gave them tremendous happiness.
A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at USC in October, more details to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mike's honor to the Institute for Myeloma and Blood Cancer Research (IMBCR.org/donate).