MS&T20 Virtual Award Winner Announcements

The Materials Science & Technology 2020 Technical Meeting & Exhibition (MS&T20) was held virtually from 2-6 November 2020. Registrants watched live plenary and award sessions, visited the virtual exhibit hall, participated in multiple student events and contests, and had access to hundreds of on-demand technical presentations and posters. Although we were unable to hold an in-person event this year, there was no shortage of educational opportunities!

Students from all around the world worked diligently to present their academic research virtually to fellow MS&T20 attendees, and we are happy to announce this year’s winners!


Material Advantage Ceramic Disc Golf Contest
Organized by Keramos

Winner – $100 and trophy
Justin Gruber
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Most Aesthetic Disc – $100
Justin Gruber
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Claire Pallett, Missouri University of Science and Technology – 2020 Most Aesthetic Mug

Material Advantage Ceramic Mug Drop Contest
Organized by Keramos

Winner – $100 and trophy
Justin Gruber
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Most Aesthetic Mug – $50
Claire Pallett
Missouri University of Science and Technology

Material Advantage Undergraduate Student Speaking Contest

1st Place – $500
Jerry Howard
University of Utah
Improving materials for pulp capping using sodium metasilicate glass

2nd Place – $250
Ashleigh Abbott
Missouri University of Science and Technology
The Incorporation and Adhesion of Bioactives in Layer-by-Layer (LbL) films

3rd Place – $150
Gladys Duran
Instituto Tecnologico de Morelia
The failure behind the chaos

4th Place – $100
Justin Hughes
University of Maryland, College Park
Dissipative Assembly of Nanoparticles for Reconfigurable Optical Materials and Sensing Systems

PCSA Humanitarian Pitch Competition

1st Place – $500
H2Flow
Colorado School of Mines
Water Filtration through Concrete Filters

2nd Place – $250
Ecotone Renewables
Carnegie Mellon University
Anaerobic Digestion Technology for Developing Island Nations

Material Advantage Graduate Student Poster Competition

1st Place – $250
Davi Marcelo Soares
Kansas State University
Silicon Carbon Nitride (SiCN) and Silicon Oxycarbide (SiOC) Functionalization of Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2) as Stable Battery Electrodes

2nd Place – $150
Manmeet Kaur
Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology
Self Activated Ca3Si2O7 + Ca2SiO4:Dy3+ Phosphors Derived from Agro-food Wastes

3rd Place – $100
Anna De Marzi
University of Padova
Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Technology Applied to Si3N4 Freeform Components Fabrication

Material Advantage Undergraduate Student Poster Contest

1st Place – $250
Tejas Chaudhari
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
Crack Driving Force Expressions Using Compliance Approach in Clamped Beam Bending Geometry

2nd Place – $150
Ria Nandwana
Case Western Reserve University
Maximizing Magnetostriction in Fe-Ga-Zr Nanocrystalline Alloys

3rd Place – $100
Robert Spurling
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Supercritical Synthesis of VO2 Nanoparticles For Smart Window Films

Material Advantage Student Social Media Contest

Gladys Duran
Instituto Tecnologico de Morelia

Raju Prasad Ghimire
University of New Mexico

Hrushikesh Sahasrabuddhe
Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai


Thank you to this year’s contest participants for your efforts. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at MS&T21 in Columbus!

MS&T20 Virtual Student Contest Awardees (PDF)