National Science Foundation – Concrete Products

ORGANIZATIONS – SEPTEMBER 2019

September 29, 2019 Concrete News

The Texas Aggregates & Concrete Association’s Emerging Leaders Academy has assembled and delivered new bicycles for near 100 Fort Worth children. Launched in 2016, the Emerging Leaders Academy is a rigorous three-year program designed as a platform for personal and professional development for members of the aggregate, concrete and cement industries. It provides engaging coursework dedicated to developing leadership skills and offers accredited industry leader certification.

PCI’s seismic design methodology garners top ASCE honor

April 4, 2016 Concrete News

Sources: Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, Chicago; CP staff

The American Society of Civil Engineers has presented the Charles Pankow Award for Innovation to PCI, whose “Seismic Design Methodology for Precast Concrete Diaphragms” project addresses engineering obstacles—rooted in structural member-to-member or member-to-shear wall connections—to precast concrete solutions in high seismic zone markets.

Masonry unit developer exploits clays’ geopolymer binder potential

August 4, 2015 Concrete News

Sources: Watershed Materials, Napa, Calif.; CP staff

A National Science Foundation-backed building materials technology startup, Watershed Materials, reports a high-strength masonry unit production process using natural mineral-based geopolymers. Recently identified reactive compounds allow for molding universally available clays into what the company contends is a sustainable alternative to conventional concrete masonry.

Feds fund project to integrate carbon metrics in building material databases

September 26, 2013 CP Staff

Researchers at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, have been awarded a $600,000 National Science Foundation grant to develop measurement and assessment tools to be integrated with building material databases and architectural design software to provide real-time, “on-the-fly” carbon footprint metrics.