Peizhen Kathy Lu, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Virginia Tech, is the 2008 recipient of the Karl Schwartzwalder-Professional Achievement in Ceramic Engineering (PACE) Award.
The American Ceramic Society Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Karl Schwartzwalder-Professional Achievement in Ceramic Engineering Award Sub-committee, unanimously chose Lu for the honor.
This award recognizes the nation's outstanding young ceramic engineer whose achievements have been significant to the profession and the general welfare of the American people, according to the American Ceramic Society. The awardee should have been active in civic, educational, and social areas based on her technical expertise, and have made significant technical contribution to the discipline and the society.
Recognition of this award will be given at the Honors and Awards Banquet at the American Ceramic Society’s110th Annual Meeting, Monday, Oct. 6, 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Lu directs Virginia Tech’s Innovative Particulate Materials Laboratory and concentrates her research on nanomaterials, fuel cell material design, composites, materials design, and powder synthesis.
She obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in ceramics from Tianjin University, China in 1990 and in 1993, respectively. She obtained a second master’s degree and her doctorate in MSE from Ohio State University in 1999 and in 2000.
From 1989-1993, Lu served as a research associate for the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Tianjin University. From 1993-1996, she was employed as an assistant professor in the MSE Department at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing, China.
She was a research associate at Ohio State University in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering from 1996-2000. At Pennsylvania State University, Lu worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Center for Innovative Sintered Products.