MIT freshman Cheahuychou “Chou” Mao received the Freshmen Award for Distinguished Achievement in Research for her UROP work, conducted under the supervision of CEE Professor Oral Buyukozturk and Research Scientist Dr. Kunal Kupwade-Patil. Mao employed sophisticated experimental equipment to explore the concept of partially replacing volcanic ash in the traditional Portland cement. She examined the early and late age curing of hardened cement paste, combining natural Pozzolanic volcanic ash and Portland cement with advanced micro-characterization techniques. “Chou quickly grasped advanced concepts, demonstrated high level understanding, and delivered an excellent performance directly contributing to our research,” said Buyukozturk. Mao says the interdisciplinary nature of her research allows her to further comprehend the importance of applying material science in civil engineering as a way to produce innovations.