CGIF Receives Scholarship Support from Allied Mineral

Allied Mineral Products, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, recently became the first corporate donor to support scholarships for the new two-year Ceramic Engineering Technology Program under development at Central Ohio Technical College (COTC) in Newark, OH.

Allied’s executive vice president, Doug Doza, presented a $5,000 check to Marcus Fish, development director of the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF), to build a scholarship fund for future students of the program.

“As we stay true to our mission of meeting the technical education and training needs of students and employers in our field, we look forward to working with everyone involved with building this exciting new program,” said the CGIF’s Fish. “Allied’s donation to the scholarship fund is crucial to supporting the program’s students and future graduates.”

The new Ceramic Engineering Technology program is being developed through a public-private partnership between ACerS, The Edward Orton Jr. Ceramic Foundation, and COTC to build a skilled workforce for the ceramic industry. ACerS and the CGIF have committed to promote the program to industry partners, assist with fundraising for scholarships, and help with acquiring the necessary lab equipment and machinery.

COTC is a fully accredited, public college dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible programs of technical education in response to current and emerging employment needs. COTC is the only technical college in Ohio operating four full-service campus locations: Newark, Coshocton, Knox and Pataskala.

Once it is established, the Ceramic Engineering Technology program will be the only two-year degree program in the United States for ceramic engineering technology, and ACerS will work to deliver similar programs in other parts of the U.S. The proposed program will provide students an economical path to a technical career as well as provide skilled workers for the ceramic and materials processing and product industries.

The curriculum will focus on building skills for manufacturing, production, quality assurance, research and product development, and purchasing and procurement. Additionally, the proposed Ceramic Learning Laboratory at COTC will provide students with 43 labs on processing, characterization, and testing of ceramics, which requires a significant amount of equipment. The Characterization of Ceramics area is in need of:

     • an x-ray diffraction unit

     • polarized light microscopes

     • scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy

     • polishing stations and supplies

For the Ceramics Processing area of the lab, equipment needs include:

     • an extruder

     • drying ovens

     • high-temperature electric furnaces

     • thermocouple welder

     • ball mills

     • powder press

     • gas pycnometer

     • dynamic light scattering unit

     • BET surface area analyzer

     • viscometer

The Testing and Properties of Ceramics area needs such equipment as:

     • a screw-driven mechanical test machine

     • differential thermal analyzer

     • thermogravimetric analyzer

     • dilatometer

     • water drop calorimeter

     • room-temperature thermal conductivity flash unit

     • pulse echo system for elastic moduli

     • creep unit

     • sonic velocity unit

     • dielectric strength tester

In addition to the equipment and machinery needed for the new lab, donations for internships and scholarships are crucial. If you would like to provide a gift to the scholarship fund or would like a complete list of equipment needs, please contact Marcus Fish at 614-794-5863.