The December 2025 issue of ACerS Bulletin is now available online.
In this month’s issue, we look at how biomimicry is gaining recognition as a design strategy across diverse industries. The first feature story by Sourabh Kumar and Hortense Le Ferrand reviews developments in the processing of nacre-like ceramic–metal composites. The second feature story by Mohammad Houshmand and Amir Farnam describes the creation of nature-inspired vascular cementitious composites for application in self-thermal responsive buildings. Finally, the resource roundup by Randy Hecht overviews biomimetic research centers and degree programs that have emerged to help scientists make the most of this design paradigm.
This issue had two additional feature stories that touched on other innovation areas. The feature story by Katrina Donovan and Sarah Keenan shared the success of a new summer research program at South Dakota Mines focused on learning through local geology. Meanwhile, the feature story by I. V. S. Rao described a novel rotary kiln-based production route for cristobalite.
In addition to the feature stories, the “Journal Highlights” column by ACerS retired journals managing editor Jonathon Foreman highlights some of the papers published in the November 2025 special issue of Journal of the American Ceramic Society, which had the theme “Materials Design with Learning from Nature.” The “Deciphering the Discipline” column by student Bahareh Kheilnezhad describes the use of bioactive glasses for therapeutic ion delivery.
This issue’s Industry section features three columns that expanded on the biomimicry theme. The “Business and Market View” column overviews the global market for tissue engineering and regeneration technologies. The “Industry Perspectives” column by Gemma Harvey talks about how much materials scientists can learn from landscape-shaping animals. The “Industry Insights” column by David Holthaus explores advancements in bioactive glass products over the past four decades, since the first bioactive glass-based medical device received FDA approval in 1985.
Finally, read about what happened at ACerS Annual Meeting at MS&T25, which took place Sept. 28–Oct. 1, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio.
You’ll find a lot more interesting content inside this—and every issue—of the ACerS Bulletin. Sign-up for one FREE year of ACerS membership to gain access to this valuable resource and everything else that ACerS has to offer!
