Alfred University offers one of the preeminent glass science engineering programs in the United States. We are the only institution of higher education to offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs in glass science engineering and we count among our alums some of the most accomplished and innovative glass researchers and educators in the world.

Those alums include: Kathleen Richardson, ’82, ’88 M.S., ’92 Ph.D. (bachelors and doctorate in ceramic engineering; masters in glass science engineering), Pegasus Professor of Optics and Materials Science and Engineering in the College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida, and a global leader in research and education in the optics industry; John Mauro ’01, PhD ’06 (both degrees in glass science engineering), professor of materials science and engineering and chair of the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State University, and previously at Corning Inc. helped lead efforts to develop the Gorilla Glass that is used for screens on smart phones and other devices; and Rob Schaut ’02 (bachelors in ceramic engineering, glass science engineering minor), who as scientific director at Corning Inc. was co-inventor of the durable Valor Glass vials in which COVID-19 vaccines are transported.

Our Inamori School of Engineering continues to be at the forefront of research and education in the field of glass science engineering. Our Center for Glass Innovation—led by Collin Wilkinson, assistant professor of glass science engineering—is doing pioneering work with respect to making the glass industry more sustainable. At the present time, most glass is not recycled and instead must be hauled to landfills. A reporter from USA Today is doing a story on the work that Collin and his fellow faculty, staff, and student researchers at Alfred University are doing to promote glass recycling by wineries in the Finger Lakes region.

The USA Today reporter has expressed an interest in doing a follow up story on the efforts of Wilkinson and his Center for Glass Innovation colleagues to develop a novel concrete, modeled after that created by the ancient Romans, that utilizes waste glass as an ingredient.

Concrete is made from three ingredients: water, sand, and cement. Traditional concrete uses Portland cement, and its manufacture accounts for 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Wilkinson’s work, conducted with research partner Silica-X and support from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), has led to the development of concrete that uses cement made from recycled glass. The results are concrete that is much more durable and thus less harmful to the environment, while diverting a significant amount of waste glass from landfills. It is hoped that the material will prove to be more robust in a marine environment than traditional concrete and will be used to construct sea walls protecting coastal communities around the world.

A press gathering was held recently at the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn to discuss the project and unveil plans to place samples of the novel concrete into the ocean off Long Island Sound to test its resilience in a marine environment.

Video documentary on the Alfred University-Silica-X research on waste glass-fortified concrete

In addition, it was announced recently by the office of U.S. Representative Nick Langworthy that Wilkinson had been awarded a $480,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. The funding supports a four-year project which will study how glass relaxation optimizes the production of new glass materials. The project will provide hands-on experiential learning opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students at Alfred University.

The foregoing are but some examples of how Alfred University continues to undertake groundbreaking glass research. Over the past few years, the DEC has awarded our University more than $4 million from its Environmental Protection Fund to research glass sustainability initiatives through our Center for Glass Innovation. And through our Inamori School’s Summer Undergraduate Research Institute, our students are receiving hands-on experience in studying ways to make the glass industry more sustainable.