The Tadashi Kokubo award is presented annually to a deserving individual(s) in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the field of bioceramics research and development. Professor Tadashi Kokubo is a pioneer of innovation in the field of bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics and is particularly known for his invention of simulated body fluid and Cerabone® (Apatite-Wollastonite glass-ceramic).
The award will be presented at the ACerS Annual Meeting/MS&T. The awardee shall receive a certificate, glass piece, and complimentary registration. In addition, the awardee will receive the invitation of a lecture, which will be presented in a bioceramics-focused symposium at the meeting.
Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. (NEG) expects that research in the field of bioceramics will progress globally with the establishment of this award. NEG is pleased to support the Bioceramics Division’s Tadashi Kokubo Award through a donation.
Nomination Process
The major criteria used in selecting the recipient of this award is:
- the individual’s contribution to the field of Bioceramics in terms of scholarly research publications/ patents/ technology commercialization, including translational research (bench to bedside).
- the individual’s contributions to outreach activities, including organizing bioceramics-specific sessions at major international conferences and technical events, global young professional forum, and other professional events, which should have enhanced the visibility of the field of bioceramics.
A nominee must be 45 years old or younger at the time of award presentation (October of the award year) and is required to be a member of The American Ceramic Society.
Nominations are to be recommended by a sponsor, who is a standing member of The American Ceramic Society.
The nomination profile should include:
- A nomination letter by the sponsor
- Nominee’s latest CV
- Two supporting letters
The deadline for nominations is January 31 in the year preceding the MS&T conference.
Contact
Nominations, including a written statement of the nominee’s qualifications and contributions, should be sent to the division chair:
Annabel Braem
KU Leuven
Award Winners
Qiang Fu
Dr. Qiang Fu is a Principal Research Scientist at Corning Incorporated. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science from Tongji University (Shanghai, China), and a Ph.D. in Ceramic Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, MO). He conducted his postdoctoral research at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA) before joining Corning Incorporated in 2011. He has served as an editor for the Journal of the American Ceramic Society since 2023.
Over the course of his career, Qiang’s research has focused on chemically strengthened glass and glass-ceramics, bioactive glass and ceramics, and processing and mechanical properties of functional materials. He has published more than 60 peer-reviewed papers. He is an inventor or a co-inventor of 63 granted U.S. patents including eight on bioactive glasses. In collaboration with his colleagues, he has co-invented novel glass and glass-ceramic compositions for Corning® Gorilla® Glass and other areas of businesses.
In addition to his work within Corning, Qiang has made extensive contributions to the expansion of the bioactive materials community. He also organized several bioactive glasses related symposia at national and international conferences, including the International Commission on Glass (ICG), the American Ceramic Society’s Glass & Optical Materials Division Annual Meeting (GOMD), and the Materials Science & Technology (MS&T) conference. He was the organizer of the Delbert Day Honorary Symposium at GOMD 2024, and the organizer of the Symposium of Bioactive Ceramics and Glasses of MS&T in 2020. In addition, he was also the organizer of Glass in Healthcare Symposium for ICG Congress in 2019, and GOMD from 2015 to 2017. He also serves as the vice chair of the technical committee (TC04 Bioglass) for ICG. In addition, he is a frequently invited speaker on topics that help to promote bioactive glasses and ceramics within material science and the broader scientific community.
Qiang is recognized for his scientific achievements both within and outside Corning, receiving multiple awards over the last decade including: the American Ceramic Society’s Darshana and Arun Varshneya Frontiers of Glass Technology Lecture Award in 2022; the Woldemar A. Weyl International Glass Science Award from ICG in 2016; the S. Donald Stookey Award from Corning Incorporated in 2016; the Elsevier Materials Science and Engineering C. Young Researcher Award in 2013.