CoorsTek Invests in the Next Generation of Materials Scientists

GOLDEN, Colo., Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- CoorsTek, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of engineered ceramics, proudly hosted all ten of its CoorsTek Research Fellows from Colorado School of Mines at a recent research symposium. The CoorsTek Research Fellows Program was first launched in 2014 from a $27 Million donation from the Coors family to fund the research program and a 95,000‐square‐foot CoorsTek Center for Applied Science and Engineering building on the Mines campus. This world‐class facility is designed to support academic and research activities for undergraduate, graduate and doctorate level students. 

The CoorsTek Research Fellows Program has an initial ten-year commitment of support and fellows receive a competitive stipend, 100 percent paid tuition, fees, and healthcare. The program provides a unique opportunity for fellows to work on projects of their choosing, alongside world-renowned scientists and engineers at Colorado School of Mines and CoorsTek. These research-driven fellows get to explore a multitude of topics that spark their interest, without the financial restrictions most candidates face, leading them to careers in academia, industry, or at national labs. Their projects cover a broad range of topics in materials science from synthesis and characterization of properties of new advanced materials, development of novel forming processes like 3D additive manufacturing, to microstructural characterization of advanced nano-scale materials at the atomic level.

At the recent symposium, the ten current CoorsTek fellows were given three minutes to present their projects at a TED Talk style session, followed by a poster abstract that gave the fellows a chance to discuss the progress of their projects in more detail. The fellows were joined by CoorsTek co-CEO, Timothy Coors and Colorado School of Mines President, Paul C. Johnson who engaged the fellows in project advancement and career discussions. 

Colorado School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson said the fellows "have an opportunity to talk about the big picture of what their research is about and what the impact is going to be to the world or the company. Thus, creating a rare occasion for young academics to intermingle with industry executives in an exclusive atmosphere."

"Material Scientists are leading the way in the many industries, and for us at CoorsTek, it is imperative that we give these young scientists the opportunity to do the academic research needed for the next big breakthrough," said Randel Mercer, chief technology officer at CoorsTek. "By supporting the next generation of scientists, we ensure CoorsTek will always be on the cutting edge of ceramics."

The CoorsTek Research Fellows Program attracts students who have been recognized as top academics coming into School of Mines from all over the world. In 2017, South Korean National Yewon Shin joined the fellowship program, after graduating with a bachelor's degree from South Korea's Kyungpook National University. Yewon's project focuses on defects of kinetics in Cathode and thermodynamics in Electrolyte. 

One of the unique aspects of the CoorsTek Research Fellowship Program is the flexibility it allows the students to have not only in their academics, but also in life. PhD candidate Russell Gleason joined the program in 2017 after a successful teaching career. With three young daughters, Russell knew the importance of returning to school for his PhD but realized the financial struggle it would have on his family. The fellowship program gave him the ability to return to school without the added financial and time commitment. It also gave him the flexibility to study his area of interest, leveraging machine learning to predict microstructural and macroscopic properties of alumina. 

CoorsTek is proud to partner with Colorado School of Mines in leading the way to guide the next generation of scientists. For more information about the current progress of the CoorsTek Research Fellowship Program, please watch this video.

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CoorsTek, Inc.                                  
Jennifer Pakradooni                        
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About CoorsTek

Founded in 1910 and headquartered in Golden, Colorado, CoorsTek is a fifth-generation, family owned and operated global manufacturer of engineered ceramics. By utilizing over half of the world's known elements in our material formulations, we deliver unique solutions to our diverse customer base by leveraging ceramic properties. With more than 30 facilities across 3 continents, 5 million square feet in manufacturing space, and more than 6,000 team members, we are the partner of choice in engineered ceramics. CoorsTek Makes the World Measurably Better by providing customers with amazing solutions to complex manufacturing needs across all industry sectors around the world.

For more information, please visit www.coorstek.com.

SOURCE CoorsTek, Inc.