Ceramic Tech Chat

Even as the tools and platforms for education have changed drastically in the past century, the need for programs to upskill employees remains as strong as ever. Carl Frahme, longtime consultant and educator in the ceramic, metals, and materials industries, shares how he first became involved as an instructor for ACerS educational courses, describes how these courses evolved over time, and explains why he finds being a science educator so fulfilling.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Carl Frahme is a long-time consultant and educator in the ceramic, metals, and materials industries. He offers consulting through his company, Frahme Consulting Services, and teaches many of the courses available on ACerS Online Learning Center.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

From ancient times till today, terracotta remains a steadfast option for roof tiles. David Jensen, sample coordinator and glaze production scheduler at Ludowici Roof Tile, describes the advantages of and his work on clay roof tiles, shares how he became interested in the history of Ludowici, and explains how that interest led to the discovery of a glass slide collection created by ACerS founder Edward Orton Jr.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
David Jensen is  sample coordinator and glaze production scheduler at Ludowici Roof Tile in New Lexington, Ohio. After joining Ludowici, Jensen became the company’s de facto historian, and his research led to a surprise discovery of more than 800 glass sides created by Edward Orton Jr. that provides a look at the ceramics industry in the early 1900s. The Columbus Metropolitan Library is digitizing these slides as part of a Columbus area history project, and people can freely view the digitized slides at this link.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

While planning for the future is important, listening to others and adapting to new opportunities can lead to the most fulfilling and fruitful careers. Rajendra Bordia, the George J. Bishop, III Chair Professor of Ceramics and Materials Engineering at Clemson University, shares his somewhat unplanned pathway from mechanical into ceramic engineering, describes his approach to mentoring students, and discusses his goals as this year’s president of The American Ceramic Society.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Rajendra Bordia is the George J. Bishop, III Chair Professor of Ceramics and Materials Engineering at Clemson University in South Carolina. His research focuses on how processing conditions affect the final microstructure and properties of ceramics, with a specific focus on thermal processing methods. He is currently serving as president of The American Ceramic Society for 2023–2024, a role in which he will lead the Society through the development of a new strategic plan.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Training the next generation of ceramic engineers requires engagement on multiple fronts. Geoff Brennecka, Herman F. Coors Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, discusses the importance of having degree programs that focus specifically on ceramics, recalls the history and evolution of ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors, and describes how the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation’s new Teacher Training Workshops provide K–12 teachers guidance on effective ways to teach materials science.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Geoff Brennecka is the Herman F. Coors Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, which recently launched a degree program in ceramic engineering. His group works on the fabrication, characterization, and analysis of advanced dielectrics, ferroelectrics, and piezoelectrics. He is actively involved in ACerS, helping to establish ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors, and currently serves as chair of the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation Board.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

With global demand for cement and concrete continuing to rise, there is a similarly increasing focus on the industry’s carbon footprint. Shiho Kawashima, associate professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Columbia University, identifies the main culprits behind high carbon emissions in the cement and concrete industry, outlines several approaches to lowering emissions, and describes the role her research plays in innovating solutions to this challenge.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Shiho Kawashima is associate professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Columbia University in New York. Her research group studies cement rheology and processing, including a recent focus on 3D concrete printing. Their work supports the development of low-carbon cements and concretes. More information on this topic can be found in the U.S. Department of Energy report Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Low-Carbon Cement.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Multilayer ceramic capacitors, or MLCCs, are at the heart of almost every electronic device today. Yoshiki Iwazaki, senior principal scientist and general manager at Taiyo Yuden in Japan, describes his research on MLCCs using first-principles calculations, discusses the changes that come with transitioning into a managerial role at work, and shares where he sees electroceramics research at Taiyo Yuden headed in the future.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Yoshiki Iwazaki is senior principal scientist and general manager at Japanese materials and electronics company Taiyo Yuden. He uses simulations based on first-principles calculations to study materials and processing of multilayer ceramic capacitors. He is a previous recipient of The American Ceramic Society’s Richard M. Fulrath Award, which promotes technical and personal friendships between professional Japanese and U.S. ceramic engineers and scientists.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Glass is a material with nearly infinite possibilities. John Mauro, Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, shares his experience working with glass in the worlds of industry and academia, discusses the do’s and don’ts of publishing your research in journals, and talks about the similarities between scientific and fantasy fiction writing.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
John Mauro is Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. Before moving to Penn State six years ago, he spent the first 18 years of his career as a glass scientist at Corning . He has made numerous contributions to the development of new glass systems, including a family called LionGlass that has half the carbon footprint of soda lime silicate glass. In his spare time, Mauro writes reviews of fantasy fiction books. His reviews can be found on Grimdark Magazine, Before We Go Blog, and Goodreads.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Even the most advanced products start with raw materials. Michael Silver, president and CEO of American Elements, explains how he became involved in the materials supply chain, describes what comprises innovation at a materials supply company, and discusses how these companies handle some of the most challenging market factors affecting industries right now.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Michael Silver is president and CEO of American Elements, a global manufacturer and distributor of advanced materials. Silver founded American Elements in the 1990s and has personally experienced the growth in importance that materials suppliers play in today’s global market.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Since the discovery of bioactive glasses in the 1960s, specialty glass manufacturer Mo-Sci has played a key role in bringing these materials to market. Steven Jung, chief technology officer at Mo-Sci, overviews the history of the company, discusses the science behind some of their well-known products, and describes how the company develops specialty glass products for a variety of end-user industries.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Steven Jung is chief technology officer at Mo-Sci, a specialty glass manufacturer located in Rolla, Mo. Throughout his career, Jung has helped develop dozens of glass-based healthcare innovations, including the world’s first bioactive glass-based wound care product, MIRRAGEN.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Nuclear power has been an important contributor to the U.S. energy portfolio since the 1950s, but few nuclear reactors have been built in recent decades. Rita Baranwal, senior vice president for energy systems at Westinghouse Electric Company, provides an overview of the nuclear power industry today, talks about the emerging focus on small modular reactors as well as full-size plants, and describes the new technologies that Westinghouse is developing to support the future of low-carbon energy.

 View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Rita Baranwal is senior vice president for energy systems at Westinghouse Electric Company. She is responsible for the development of the company’s new AP300 small modular reactor, which you can learn more about in this video.  Baranwal recently served as assistant secretary of nuclear energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, from July 2019 to January 2021.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.