Katherine Faber Receives Top Honor from American Ceramic Society
McCormick materials science professor named Distinguished Life Member
Katherine Faber, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering, has been named a 2013 Distinguished Life Member of the American Ceramic Society.
The award — the society’s highest honor — is given in recognition of an individual’s eminent contributions to the ceramic and glass profession.
A member of Northwestern’s faculty since 1988, Faber’s research interests include porous ceramics for energy applications; graphite- and silicon carbide-based cellular ceramics synthesized from natural scaffolds, such as pyrolized wood; and thermal and environmental barrier coatings for engines and gas turbines.
Recently, Faber extended her research to include cultural heritage science. She co-directs the Northwestern University–Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS), an interdisciplinary center that offers scientific research collaborations to museums across the country.
Faber joined American Ceramic Society in 1975, was made fellow in 1992, and served as president from 2006 to 2007. Other honors include the Charles L. Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, two National Science Foundation Creativity Extension Awards, and a Distinguished Educator Award from the Society of Women Engineers. She has authored more than 150 papers, three book chapters, and edited one book.
Faber and two other award recipients will be inducted at the American Ceramic Society’s Annual Awards and Honors Banquet on October 28 in Montréal.