E. Ivan Diaz-Loya, a senior Ph.D. candidate and research assistant at the Trenchless Technology Center at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La., is the recipient of the 2010 ASTM International Katharine and Bryant Mather Scholarship. Sponsored by ASTM International Committee C09 on Concrete and Concrete Aggregates, the scholarship is presented each year to undergraduate or graduate students who are pursuing degrees specializing in cement or concrete materials technology or concrete construction. 

A graduate of Chihuahua Institute of Technology in Mexico where he earned a bachelor's degree in materials engineering, Diaz-Loya's current research focuses on the characterization of new types of environmentally-friendly concrete such as geopolymer concrete.  After completion of the doctoral program at Louisiana Tech, he plans to continue working in the development of sustainable construction materials based on recycled solid wastes. 

A member of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) and the American Concrete Institute (ACI), Diaz-Loya has also received scholarships from Mexico's National Council for Science and Technology and NASTT.  He completed an undergraduate internship in the research and development department at GCC Cement in Chihuahua, Mexico, and had his paper, “Factors Affecting the Suitability of Fly Ash as Source Material for Geopolymers,” published in the scientific journal, Fuel, The Science and Technology of Fuel and Energy.

For more information about ASTM International's student membership, scholarships and other academic activities, visit the Student and Professors section of the ASTM Web site (www.astm.org/studentmember).

ASTM PR Contact: Erin K. Brennan, Phone: 610-832-9602; ebrennan@astm.org

Release #8628