MSE Professor Robert Speyer received the Outstanding Educator Award from the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) at their annual conference. The Outstanding Educator Award recognizes truly outstanding work and creativity in teaching, in directing student research, or in the general educational process (lectures, publications, etc.) among ceramic educators.

Speyers areas of interest over a forty-year span of research have varied from glass fusion and devitrification, fiber-reinforced glass-ceramic composites, processing and characterization, as well as single-crystal growth of piezeoelectric ceramics, gas radiant buners, ultra-high temperature composites, ceramic armor, and ceramic-based lasers. He has advised 23 Ph.D. and 15 M.S. graduate students, published 1 book (Thermal Analysis of Materials), 138 refereed papers, presented 241 papers, and holds 17 patents.