Sustainable Construction Materials: Building Bridges of Collaboration between Government, Academia, and Industry

Description:
The effects of climate change have taken a toll on supply chains, damaged our infrastructure, and increased risks to Soldiers and civilians alike due to natural disasters and extreme weather. Through the Army Climate Strategy (ACS), the Army will continue to lead by example. In order to proactively reduce the risks that climate change imposes, the Army can increase capability and installations’ resiliency; prepare for new hazards and new environments; modernize processes, standards, and infrastructure; and decrease operational energy demand—all of which in turn will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Here, a scientific roadmap is presented which contextualizes relevant policy drivers and discusses technology gaps with respect to sustainable structures and carbon sequestration. Emphasis will be placed on the Army Climate Strategy Implementation plan (ACS-IP), USACE efforts to pilot sustainable materials, and opportunities for partnership across government, academia, and industry to advance our fundamental and practical understanding of sustainable construction materials and methodologies.

Speaker: Matthew Glasscott - US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)
Dr. Matthew Glasscott is a Research Chemist with the Environmental Lab (EL), U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). In this role he endeavors to equip Soldiers and citizens with electrochemically engineered technologies to solve problems related to environmental Analysis, climate change Mitigation, and renewable Power (AMP).

Matt received his B.S. in Chemistry from Grove City College in 2016 and transitioned to industry, where he managed the production of Unilever’s Vaseline® for Sonneborn LLC. Matt then matriculated into the Analytical Chemistry doctoral program at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a PhD in 2021 from the Jeffrey Dick Lab. Matt has published over 30 peer reviewed manuscripts and 1 textbook chapter, and is a Certified Chemical Engineer (CChE) and Certified Professional Chemist (CPC) through the American Institute of Chemists.