A publication from the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research’s (CAER) Cementitious Materials Group was selected as the 2024 recipient of the American Ceramic Society’s John E. Marquis Award.

Tristana Duvallet, Ph.D., a senior research engineer at CAER, was the lead author of the publication titled “Recycling of bone ash from animal wastes and by-products in the production of novel cements,” published in the June 2023 issue of the Journal of American Ceramic Society.

“This year a team of five judges evaluated a total of approximately 1,100 technical articles published in the 2023 issue of the Journal of American Ceramic Society, International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, International Journal of Applied Glass Science, International Journal of Ceramic Engineering and Science and the Bulletin of the American Ceramic Society and found your paper to be the best,” said Joe Szabo, chair of the manufacturing division of the American Ceramic Society.

The John E. Marquis Award is presented to the author or authors of the paper on research, engineering or plant practices relating to manufacturing in ceramics and glass published in the prior calendar year (2023) in a publication of the American Ceramic Society, and judged to be of greatest value to the members and to the industry. 

“We are beyond thrilled for Tristana to be recognized for her novel work in this space,” said Rodney Andrews, Ph.D., CAER director. “Our entire Cementitious Materials Research Group works diligently each day to develop new technologies and techniques that will improve cements and concretes. It is great to see their creative efforts recognized on a national stage.”

Duvallet and co-author Bob Jewell, Ph.D., associate director of CAER’s Cementitious Materials Group, received the award on May 1 at the Ceramics Expo in Novi, Michigan.  

“This has been a fascinating project and I am thankful to the American Ceramic Society for this recognition,” said Duvallet. “We look forward to advancing our research in this area.”

CAER’s Cementitious Materials Group is a global leader in developing next-generation cements and concretes, as its researchers seek to develop more environmentally friendly solutions for the future. Concrete is the most widely used man-made material on earth. It is second only to water as the most-consumed resource on the planet, and it is the source of 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.