Alfred University News

Alfred University alumnus John Mauro elected to National Academy of Engineers

Alfred University alumnus John Mauro ’01, Ph.D. ’06, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The Academy announced its 2022 class on Wednesday, Feb. 9, and Mauro, professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State University, is one of 111 new members (along with 22 international members) chosen.


ALFRED, NY – Alfred University alumnus John Mauro ’01, Ph.D. ’06, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The Academy announced its 2022 class on Wednesday, Feb. 9, and Mauro, professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State University, is one of 111 new members (along with 22 international members) chosen.

Mauro, a native of Almond, NY, has bachelor’s degrees in glass engineering science and computer science and a doctoral degree in glass engineering science from Alfred University and is known as one of the most accomplished glass scientists in the world. When he is formally inducted Oct. 2, during the NAE annual meeting, Mauro will become the second Alfred University alumnus to attain membership in the Academy. Cheryl Blanchard ’86 (B.S., ceramic engineering, mathematics minor) was inducted in 2015.

Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. According to the NAE, membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

In announcing its 2022 class, the NAE cited Mauro for his work “developing and applying data-driven models and machine learning that enable high-strength, damage-resistant glasses.” As an engineer at Corning Inc., Mauro was a co-inventor of Gorilla Glass, the ultra-thin, scratch-resistant, nearly unbreakable glass used in devices like Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxies. He began work on Gorilla Glass when Corning was developing its second iteration of the product and is credited with developing mathematical models which led to continued improvements in strength and scratch resistance. During his 18-year career at Corning, Mauro co-invented three generations of Gorilla Glass. Mauro is also noted for developing new theories of several fundamental glass properties, and has several equations named in his honor.

“I am very grateful to be elected as a new member of the National Academy of Engineering,” Mauro said. “I am deeply thankful to all of my teachers, colleagues, students, and friends. In particular, I would like to thank my professors from Alfred University, who gave me the greatest gift of all: the gift of a high-quality education in a caring and supportive community. Now I hope to pass along this gift to the next generation of students in my current role at Penn State.”

Mauro thanked his family—especially his late father, Ronald Mauro—for the support they provided him. “My dad has always been a role model for me, in both his career as an engineer and in his unwavering devotion to his family.” Ronald Mauro, a retired New York State Department of Transportation engineer, passed away recently after a battle with cancer.

At Penn State, Mauro is professor and associate head for Graduate Education, Materials Science and Engineering, and chair of the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program, Materials Science and Engineering. He also continues a vigorous output of scholarly publications, with more than 300 articles and two textbooks: Materials Kinetics: Transport and Rate Phenomena and Fundamentals of Inorganic Glasses (co-authored with Arun Varshneya, emeritus professor of glass science at Alfred University). He continues to be a prolific inventor, now with 64 granted U.S. patents, and last year was inducted as a Fellow in the National Academy of Inventors.

A Fellow in the American Ceramic Society (for which he serves as editor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society) and Society of Glass Technology, Mauro is also heavily involved in the celebration and observance of the 2022 International Year of Glass. He, along with Varshneya and fellow Alfred University alumna Kathleen Richardson ’82, ’88 M.S., ’92 Ph.D., serve on the International Year of Glass North American Steering Committee, which was established to coordinate IYOG activities in the U.S. and Canada.

Blanchard was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering for the creation and commercialization of biomaterial products and gender-based medical devices for musculoskeletal health. She is currently the president and CEO of Anika Therapeutics, a global integrated orthopedic and regenerative medicines company based in Bedford, MA. Blanchard formerly served as chief scientific officer and general manager of the biologics business unit at Zimmer Inc., a leader in orthopedic implants and surgical products. At Zimmer, Blanchard developed the company’s biologics business unit and led efforts to develop and commercialize regenerative medicine therapies—bone, soft tissue, and cartilage repair products—and gender-specific implants used in orthopedic procedures, such as total knee replacements.