Alfred University alumna Annika Blake-Howland, who earned a master’s degree in glass science engineering this year, was named a winner in the prestigious Oldfield Award competition, sponsored annually by the Society of Glass Technology in recognition of students’ theses and research projects.
The Oldfield Award honors excellence in students’ undergraduate project theses, taught master’s theses, and project report in the science, technology, and arts of glass. It is open to students in the United Kingdom—where the Society of Glass Technology is based—and international students from around the globe.
Blake-Howland, who was supervised in her thesis by Doris Möncke, associate professor of glass science in Alfred University’s Inamori School of Engineering, was presented with the overall second prize. Her master’s thesis was titled “Origin of Iridescence in Frederick Carder’s Aurene Glass: Linking Surface Structure, Heavy Metal Enrichment, and Optical Response.” She completed her M.S. in glass science at Alfred University in May, applying materials characterization techniques to investigate the chemical composition, surface structure, and optical properties responsible for the distinctive iridescence of Frederick Carder’s Aurene glass.
She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in materials science from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in Erlangen, Germany. Her doctoral research builds on her investigations of Aurene glass while expanding to medieval German red glass and Mycenaean gilded blue glass. Using chemical and structural characterization, she investigates how glass composition and manufacturing processes produce distinctive material properties used for historic artistic effect.
In addition to her background in glass science, Blake-Howland holds graduate degrees in art conservation from SUNY Buffalo State University and has worked with major cultural institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. At Alfred University, she also served as museum coordinator for the Paul Vickers Gardner Glass Center, where she worked at the intersection of glass art, history, and science.
Blake-Howland joins recent Alfred University alumni who were among the top award recipients in the Oldfield Award competition. In 2021, Brian Topper, who earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering in 2020, was awarded first prize. The following year, alumna Jen Hunt, who earned a master’s degree in materials science and engineering in spring of 2022, took first place. In 2024, Lucas Greiner, who earned a master’s degree in glass science engineering in spring of 2024, placed second. In 2025, Lam Tran, who earned a bachelor’s degree in 2026 in glass science and physics, placed third. Topper, Hunt, and Greiner were advised in their theses by Möncke; Tran was advised by Myungkoo Kang, assistant professor of ceramic engineering.
