Alumni John Krouse to Deliver Lecture @ Alfred University

Press Release courtesy of Alfred University.

John B. Krouse, a 1985 graduate of Alfred University (AU), will deliver the annual John McMahon Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 12 @ 11:20 am, in Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall, on the AU campus.

Krouse, who is president of Boston Valley Terra Cotta in Orchard Park, NY, will deliver a talk entitled, “Architectural Ceramics Meets the 3-D Digital Workflow: Tales from the Real World.”

Boston Valley Terra Cotta, created when the Krouse family purchased the former Boston Valley Pottery facility and converted it. Boston Valley Terra Cotta is now one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of architectural terra cotta for restoration and new construction projects. Boston Valley has successfully completed more than 3,000 building projects since Krouse became president in 1998. The projects range in size and scope from large government buildings to small private art galleries, and span the globe.

An affiliate member of the New York State Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology at Alfred University, Boston Valley Terra Cotta uses AU facilities and researchers to assist with testing of its clay body and glaze compositions as part of its quality assurance program.

In his lecture, Krouse will discuss how Boston Valley Terra Cotta “meets the exacting demands or our design-oriented clients,” which include internationally recognized architects, by “investing in talented people and cutting-edge digital technology.

“The new ceramic work flow means not only better products made more efficiently, but it has opened exciting new design possibilities,” Krouse said. “The design studio now uses photographs to make 3-D models of existing historic pieces, Hollywood computer graphics to make repairs, and robots to help make molds and models.”

The John F. McMahon Lecture was created in 1980 by Alfred University alumni to honor Dr. McMahon for his contributions to ceramic science and engineering. Each year, a distinguished ceramic scientist or engineer delivers the lecture and receives the John F. McMahon Award. Appropriately enough, the first lecture in the series was delivered by Dr. McMahon. The McMahon Lecture is presented each fall semester during undergraduate seminar.

This year’s lecture will be preceded by a joint meeting of the Ceramics Association of New York and the Western New York Chapter of the American Ceramics Society. Members of the groups will brainstorm suggestions about what the future of the professional groups should be.

The afternoon session will feature a ceramic machining workshop from 2-4 p.m., sponsored by the Center of Advanced Ceramic Technology (CACT). Participants will be asked to discuss industry needs and explore the possibility of establishing a research center at AU that focuses on subtractive processing of ceramic materials.

Click here for more information or to register for the event. (link expired)