Ceramic Tech Chat

Archaeology may be the study of our past, but we are using increasingly futuristic techniques and technologies to reveal these long-ago cultures. Fumie Iizuka, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, shares her journey to studying the relationship between pottery and ancient cultures, describes some of the techniques she uses in the field, and discusses how being a member of ACerS has benefited her research.
View the transcript for this episode here.
About the guest
Fumie Iizuka is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She studies the climate and ecosystem factors that led hunter-gatherers and early farmers to adopt pottery, with a focus on Eastern Eurasia. She served as chair of ACerS Art, Archaeology & Conservation Science Division in 2024–2025, and she enjoys the opportunities that ACerS provides to discuss effective materials characterization methods with scientists of different backgrounds.
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.

Modern electronics are expected to perform multifunctional tasks, and interdisciplinary knowledge is required to develop these materials and systems. Ruyan Guo, the Robert E. Clarke Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, talks about her experiences doing electronics research at both The Pennsylvania State University and UT San Antonio, describes how she helped launch an interdisciplinary graduate program at the latter institution, and shares the ways in which she is giving back to the ceramics community by serving previously as a National Science Foundation program director and currently on the ACerS Board of Directors.
View the transcript for this episode here.
About the guest
Ruyan Guo is the Robert E. Clarke Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research group specializes in the study and development of multifunctional materials for electronic devices. She previously served as a program director in the Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems Division of the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Engineering, helping coordinate national research during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is now serving on the ACerS Board of Directors.
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.

Undergraduate research experiences have many well-known benefits for those just starting on their potential career path. Mario Affatigato, the Fran Allison and Francis Halpin Professor of Physics at Coe College, shares how his initial experiences with glass research as a student at Coe came full circle when he returned to Coe as a professor, describes the fundamental and applied glass science that his research group conducts, and discusses his plans and goals as president of ACerS this year.
View the transcript for this episode here.
About the guest
Mario Affatigato is the Fran Allison and Francis Halpin Professor of Physics at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His group studies various glass-related questions from both a fundamental and applied perspective, including electrical conductivity of vanadate glasses and laser-based manufacturing. He is serving as this year’s president of The American Ceramic Society, and he is also editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Applied Glass Science. 
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.

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.