Physical Sciences Division
Staff Awards & Honors
April 2012
Ram Devanathan Wins Fulrath Award of the American Ceramic Society
Congratulations to Dr. Ram Devanathan on being selected for the American Ceramic Society's Richard M. Fulrath Award. The award promotes technical and personal friendships between professional Japanese and American ceramic engineers and scientists and encourages a greater understanding among the diverse cultures surrounding the Pacific Rim. The award, established in 1978, recognizes individuals for their excellence in research and development of ceramic sciences and materials.
Devanathan was selected for his leading-edge research on fuel cells, radiation-resistant semiconductors, nuclear fuels, and nanoscale processes in ceramics.
This work has both energy and environmental applications. A recent focus has been researching complex ceramics for safely immobilizing high-level nuclear waste as an alternative to glass. Another facet of his research has been novel electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cells. This work integrates computer simulations starting at the atomic level with experimental observations.
Devanathan has organized many symposia for the American Ceramics Society and is actively involved in both the Nuclear and Environmental Technology Division and the Basic Science Division.
Devanathan joins Kiyoshi Shimamura, Elizabeth Dickey, Yukihiro Kanechika, and Toshimasa Suzuki in receiving this year's award. The award will be presented at the American Ceramic Society's 114th Annual Meeting to be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October in conjunction with the Materials Science and Technology Conference & Exhibition.
