Research Advancing Kentucky: Jewell’s work to better build infrastructure
Researchers at the University of Kentucky play a pivotal role in finding solutions to meet the needs of the Commonwealth and the nation.
Much of that work to advance science is done with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Bob Jewell, Ph.D., is the associate director of UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) and an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences in the UK College of Arts and Sciences.
As part of CAER’s Cementitious Materials Research Group, Jewell’s work focuses on developing concrete and cement materials that are stronger, more durable and produce less carbon dioxide than traditional options.
“These aren’t your everyday materials. They’re fast-setting, rapid strength forming with the ability to bond to a large variety of surfaces,” said Jewell. “The DOD has also supported our research to boost forward military force projection and to provide our troops with resilient infrastructure. This funding also gives our graduate students opportunities to design and test materials for the military.”
His team finds ways to recycle coal ash and other waste products to make new building materials, reducing waste and emissions from both industry and construction.
Jewell and other members of our research community shared the importance of this federally funded research at UK. Learn more about the impactful work done in this video series from Research Communications.
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