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 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
Xuan Song
Prof. Xuan Song received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Southern California in 2016. After that, he became an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor at the University of Iowa (UIowa), where he now leads a research group focused on ceramic additive manufacturing (AM). He has published extensively in ceramic AM, including two articles featured as Editor’s Choice in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society, and holds several U.S. patents related to ceramic AM technologies. His research excellence has been recognized by numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, the AFOSR YIP Award, and the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award.
Prof. Song served as Co-Chair (2024-2026) of the ACerS Young Professionals Network (YPN), where he worked closely with colleagues from industry, academia, and government laboratories to establish more effective venues for engaging and connecting young professionals within the ceramics community. Representing the young professional community, he also served on the ACerS Committee on Strategic Planning for Emerging Opportunities (SPEO), contributing to the alignment of ACerS leadership strategies with early-career engagement. In addition, he has collaborated with the ACerS Education and Professional Development Council (EPDC) to coordinate educational and professional development opportunities for students and young professionals within the Society.
Prof. Song has continuously served as a symposium organizer in ceramic AM at major ACerS conferences, including MS&T, PACRIM/GOMD, and PACC-FMAs. Internationally, he is active in service to the broader ceramics and manufacturing communities. He has served on the International Advisory Board for the International Ceramics Congress, on the Scientific Committee for the World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing, and as an Editorial Board Member for npj Advanced Manufacturing.