Reducing carbon emissions in the cement and concrete industry is a complex, multifaceted challenge. Juan Pablo Gevaudan, assistant professor of architectural engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, talks about how his childhood desire to protect the environment led to his eventual work in cement, describes some of the research taking place in the cement industry to reduce carbon emissions, and shares how his identity as a Latino and Hispanic scientist plays a role in his approach to learning and teaching.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Juan Pablo Gevaudan is assistant professor of architectural engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. As head of the D/Carb Group at Penn State, JP works with students on developing solutions to reduce carbon emissions in the cement and concrete industry by taking a whole lifecycle approach to the challenge. He is actively involved in the ACerS Cements Division, currently serving as secretary for the 2025–2026 term.

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 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.

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.