This award recognizes a young professional member of ACerS who demonstrates exceptional leadership and service to ACerS under the age of 40 at the application deadline and must be in the first 10 years of their career.
The winner will receive an honorarium check in the amount of $1,500, a certificate of recognition and lifetime membership in ACerS. The recipient also serves on the award selection committee the following year.
Nomination Process
Nomination and application criteria include:
a. Nominee must be an ACerS member under the age of 40 at the application deadline of eight months prior to the next Annual Meeting and must be in the first 10 years of their career.
b. Nomination must be made by at least one an active ACerS member and additional letters of support are encouraged.
c. Nominees must submit resume and biography highlighting educational, professional, volunteer achievements. Service to ACerS and particularly Young Professional Network involvement should be highlighted.
d. Has not previously been awarded the Du-Co Ceramics Young Professional Award.
e. Nominees will be considered for three consecutive years as long as they meet the age and career requirements. Updated information regarding nominees will be accepted for subsequent judging.
Contact
Erica Zimmerman
Ph: 614-794-5821
ezimmerman@ceramics.org
Award Winners
Charmayne Lonergan
Prof. Charmayne Lonergan has been a dedicated member of The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) since 2008. Her passion for ceramics and glass science has only grown over the years, largely due to her involvement in ACerS. Charmayne finished her Ph.D. at Missouri S&T under Prof. Brow, followed by a post-doc at the University of Central Florida with Prof. Richardson before starting her career as a Materials Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2016. At each professional step, she and her colleagues produced highly cited papers related to the design and characterization of glasses for a variety of engineering applications, including specialty optics and waste vitrification.
Prof. Lonergan was first a member, and then a co-chair of the Young Professionals Network. She is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) liaison for GOMD and is an active member of the ACerS DEI committee. She was vice chair of the International Commission on Glass (ICG) Technical Committee on Waste Vitrification, a role that highlights her dedication to addressing global challenges through innovative glass-based solutions.
Prof. Lonergan is on the executive board for the ACerS Energy Materials and Systems Division, was a member of the Education and Professional Development Council, and was recently named to the board of the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF). Along with her participation in the ACerS mentoring program, these positions are consistent with her dedication to fostering the next generation of professionals and to spread information and excitement for ceramic/glass science and technology. Her outreach endeavors and passion for engagement led to her being featured in a children’s book highlighting women in energy-related professions as well as a highlight by the Department of Energy on their “Women @ Energy” blog.