Two from Alfred University earn ACerS recognition for outreach work
Rebecca Welch, outreach coordinator of visiting assistant professor in Alfred University’s Inamori School of Engineering, and alumna Elizabeth Tsekrekas ’19, PhD ’24, have been honored by the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) for their outreach work.
ACerS recently announced its 2024 awards and Welch and Tsekrekas were named winners of the David W. Richardson Educational Outreach Award. They will be among the honorees recognized at the ACerS Awards Banquet Oct. 7, 2024, in Pittsburgh, PA.
The award, named for David Richerson, a leading expert in the field of ceramics, “aims to foster a culture of educational outreach and community engagement. It recognizes the importance of inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators in the ceramic and glass materials field,” according to the ACerS website. It honors up to two undergraduate or graduate student members of the ceramic and glass materials community who have made a significant impact in outreach to primary and secondary school students.
Tsekrekas, from Derry, NH, earned a bachelor’s degree in glass engineering science from Alfred University in 2019 and a doctoral degree in glass science, also from Alfred University, in 2024. She is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Savannah River National Laboratory in Georgia.
While a student at Alfred University, Tsekrekas participated regularly in a number of outreach activities. They included events aimed at educating primary and secondary students about science and engineering, such as Women in Engineering Days; open houses and presentations to accepted students; on-campus summer engineering institutes; and Glass Learning Opportunities Workshops sponsored by the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation.
Welch is a doctoral student at Pennsylvania State University who is a visiting scholar and adjunct at Alfred University and also serves as the Inamori School of Engineering outreach coordinator.
In April, she organized a two-day outreach event at Alfred-Almond Central School, where she and a group of undergraduate students talked to fifth and sixth graders about engineering. The event, which reached more than 100 Alfred-Almond students, was organized with the University’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. Welch also created, organized, and executed the “Night of Science and Art,” which was held last October on the Alfred University campus and attracted more than 500 children and family members from local elementary and middle schools. The event brought together multiple university departments—including physics, materials science, ceramics, glass science, and chemistry—and featured over 50 science demonstrations, all led by Alfred University faculty and undergraduate students.
Welch, a native of Cedar Rapids, IA, has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Coe College and is currently pursuing a PhD in in materials science and engineering from Penn State.