Ceramic Tech Chat

The American Ceramic Society
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  • SCIENCE
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Members of The American Ceramic Society talk about their personal, professional, and scientific discoveries in the fields of engineered ceramic and glass materials. Find out what excites these leaders about working with this unique subset of materials.

  1. OCT 29

    Exploring unusual glasses and Indigenous thinking: Courtney Calahoo

    Glass is generally considered inert, but recent decades have seen increasing interest in glasses that react more readily with their environment. Courtney Calahoo, research and development team lead at Genics, shares her journey to working on dissolvable glasses, describes some of her current projects, and provides examples of how Indigenous knowledge can benefit modern scientific research. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest Courtney Calahoo is research and development team lead at Genics Inc., a chemical manufacturer in Alberta, Canada. She became interested in dissolvable glasses while working in Lothar Wondraczek’s group at the Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research, and she now develops dissolvable glass rods for wood preservation at Genics. During the International Year of Glass celebrations at the United Nations in 2022, Courtney talked about her experiences as an Indigenous woman glass scientist and the overlap between Indigenous knowledge and glass science. Read a summary of her talk here and watch the recording here (2:35:00 mark). Learn more about the ingenuity of Indigenous materials scientists in this book. 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.

    30 min

  2. SEP 24

    Hypersonic research and fast-track education: Rod Trice

    Recent decades have seen a resurgence in interest and funding for hypersonics research. Rod Trice, professor of materials engineering at Purdue University, briefly overviews the history of hypersonic flight, describes current hypersonic vehicle design paradigms and materials, and shares his expectations for the future of this critical national defense sector. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest Rod Trice is professor of materials engineering at Purdue University. His group works on the processing and forming of ceramics for hypersonic applications. Since January 2024, Rod has helped support the ACerS–USACA Materials Training Program by teaching a short course on hypersonic materials. The program recently received a two-year funding extension from the U.S. government and will continue in 2026. 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.

    29 min

  3. AUG 20

    Dental ceramics support oral health: Carolyn Primus

    Many patients—and sometimes even dentists—are not aware of the many ceramic and glass materials that sneakily find application in the dental world. Carolyn Primus, medical device consultant, shares her journey into the field of dental materials, provides a glimpse of the history and variety of ceramic materials used in dentistry, and describes some of the ways she’s personally contributed to this field. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest Carolyn Primus is a medical device consultant and adjunct associate professor at Augusta University in Georgia. She has spent more than 35 years working with dental materials, particularly for endodontic applications, and will publish a book through ACerS–Wiley in fall 2025 that provides an expansive overview of everything she knows about ceramics in dentistry. 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.

    25 min

  4. MAY 28

    Untapped markets for chemically strengthened glass: William LaCourse

    Glass is a solution to many modern challenges, and there remains ample opportunities for further improvements. William LaCourse, Emeritus Professor of glass science in the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, shares how several serendipitous encounters with giants in the glass field led to his employment at Alfred, highlights some of the untapped markets for ion-exchanged glass products, and gives some fun anecdotes from his time as the Alfred sports announcer for football and basketball. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest William LaCourse is Emeritus Professor of glass science in the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. He has conducted extensive research in the field of glass strengthening, with a current focus on ion-exchange processing of commercial soda-lime-silica glasses, as described in the May 2025 ACerS Bulletin. 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.

    29 min

  5. APR 16

    Transitioning niche research to market: Joe Cesarano

    Developing technologies with a deep impact in certain niche areas is arguably just as important as research that has a widespread impact. Joe Cesarano, founder and president of Robocasting Enterprises, explains how he helped develop a 3D ceramic printing method called robocasting at Sandia National Laboratories, provides examples of its applications, and shares tips on how to successfully bring your ideas to market. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest Joe Cesarano is founder and president of Robocasting Enterprises in Albuquerque, N.M. The company uses a 3D printing method called robocasting to build different types of ceramic components. The method began as a research project at Sandia National Laboratories, as explained in this video, and Joe successfully transitioned that research into commercial application through his company. 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.

    27 min

  6. MAR 19

    Microwave processing for future lunar colonies: Holly Shulman

    As we prepare for a future traveling the stars, energy-efficient processing technologies will be a necessity for both those in space and those remaining as Earth’s stewards. Holly Shulman, research professor at Alfred University, shares how she became interested in microwave sintering, describes its benefits compared to conventional sintering processes, and explains how it could support the development of future lunar colonies. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest Holly Shulman is research professor at Alfred University and founder, president, and chief technology officer of Bluestar Advanced Manufacturing. She specializes in developing microwave processing technologies, and she was recently named director of the new Space Materials Institute at Alfred University in part due to the potential applications of her research on the moon. She will be giving a talk on microwave processing for lunar construction at the 59th Annual Microwave Power Symposium in June 2025, and she plans to teach an ACerS short course in the near future. 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.

    27 min

  7. JAN 15

    Joining materials and people together: Monica Ferraris

    The rapid advancement of technology has allowed people to more easily join with others in their research community and together support the search for the next big discovery in materials science. Monica Ferraris, full professor at Politecnico di Torino, shares details about her work on the joining and coating of materials, describes her involvement with the ACerS International Italy Chapter, and discusses her plans and goals as president of ACerS this year. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest Monica Ferraris is full professor at Politecnico di Torino in Italy and cofounder of the university’s interdepartmental, multidisciplinary research center on advanced joining technologies. Her group studies the joining of similar and dissimilar materials as well as antibacterial and antiviral coatings. She is serving as this year’s president of The American Ceramic Society, and she previously helped cofound the ACerS International Italy Chapter along with Paolo Colombo. 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.

    27 min

  8. 12/20/2024

    Processing pathways for the next-gen workforce: Tim Powers

    Ceramic and glass manufacturing is a broad field that offers many opportunities for a fulfilling career. Tim Powers, retired engineering design lead at Owens Corning, shares his personal experiences working on some of the most well-known products produced by Corning and Owens Corning and describes how he is now supporting the next generation of the ceramic and glass workforce through the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation. View the transcript for this episode here. About the guest Tim Powers (retired) was the engineering design lead for glass furnace rebuilds in the Insulation Division at Owens Corning. Throughout his career at Corning and Owens Corning, he worked on some of the companies’ most well-known products, including catalytic converter substrates, Pyrex, and fiberglass insulation. He currently serves as chair-elect 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.

    24 min
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About

Members of The American Ceramic Society talk about their personal, professional, and scientific discoveries in the fields of engineered ceramic and glass materials. Find out what excites these leaders about working with this unique subset of materials.

Information

  • Creator
    The American Ceramic Society
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The American Ceramic Society
  • Show Website
    Ceramic Tech Chat

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