Prof. Akono Wins 3rd Place in the MIT Black Alumni Research Slam

ange therese akono

Prof. Ange-Therese Akono won 3rd Place at the Black Alumni/ae of MIT Research Slam for her presentation “How do you make cement smarter and tougher?”. Black alums in research roles at Northwestern, MIT, Georgia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, and Vanderbuilt competed for $2,000 in prizes for best communicating their research to a panel of accomplished journalists and editors in a fast-paced competition.

The research Prof. Akono presented focused on her labs investigation of novel smart infrastructure materials to promote the development of sustainable cities. The world population is growing exponentially with a strong concentration in cities. To enhance the quality of life in urban environments, smart cities must be built to optimize energy consumption, boost connectivity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, it is imperative to discover smart infrastructure materials with a reduced carbon footprint, optimal mechanical characteristics, and enhanced multifunctionality. Thus, the Akono lab studies the influence of key steps of the processing of Portland cement, such as the dispersion of nanomaterials or the mixing stage, on the properties of the resulting cement nanocomposites in order to gain a fundamental understanding of the role of carbon-based nanomaterials on the microstructure and performance of cement nanocomposites.

To view a recording of the competition, click here.

McCormick News Article