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2021 ASC 36th Technical Conference Recap – Virtual (Hosted by Texas A&M)

By Navid Zobeiry, Communications Editor, American Society for Composites, Last updated: May 8, 2025

The 36th Annual Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites (ASC) was held virtually from September 20–22, 2021, hosted by Texas A&M University (TAMU). The conference theme, "Composites Ingenuity Taking on Challenges in Environment–Energy–Economy", underscored the evolving role of composites in addressing interdisciplinary global challenges.

The conference was co-chaired by Prof. Anastasia Muliana and Prof. John Whitcomb (TAMU), with Dr. Ozden Ochoa serving as Local Organizer and Nicole Solecki coordinating the virtual platform. Despite the pandemic-related shift to a fully online format, the event was a technical and organizational success.

A total of 507 participants joined from 18 countries, including the United States (389), Japan (28), Canada (21), Italy (16), the United Kingdom (9), the Netherlands (8), and Australia (6). Of these, 406 were from academia and 101 from national labs and industry.

For more details, you can access the full program and list of papers below:

Conference Highlights

  • 215 full papers were submitted and presented.
  • Over 92 technical sessions were organized, spanning four divisions: Emerging Composite Technologies (ECT), Durability and Damage Tolerance (DDT), Analysis and Testing (AT), and Design and Manufacturing (DM).
  • 24 Session Technical Assistants (STAs) supported virtual delivery of presentations.

Invited Talks and Panels

  • Designing for a Sustainable Future: Pete George and Tia Benson-Tolle (The Boeing Company)
  • Excellence in Education Panel: Thomas Whitney (University of Dayton), Chiara Bisagni (Delft University of Technology), and Ozden Ochoa (TAMU)
  • EU Project Session – C3harme: Chaired by Chiara Bisagni (Delft University of Technology)
  • Structural Batteries: Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus (TAMU)
  • Biobased Polymers and Composites: Dr. Nandika D’Souza (University of North Texas)
  • Engineered Living Materials: Zoubeida Ounaies, Joseph Najem (Penn State), and Jaehwan Kim (Inha University)

Special Symposia

  • Tri-Agency Symposium on Multifunctionality and System Endurance: Organized by Les Lee (AFOSR), Daniel Cole (ARO), and Ignacio Perez de Leon (ONR)
  • NASA Mini-Symposium on ICME for Composites: Coordinated by Steve Arnold and Evan Pineda (NASA Glenn), Marianna Maiaru (UMass Lowell), and Gregory Odegard (Michigan Tech)

Awards and Recognition

  • ASC Outstanding Researcher Award: Dr. Ajit Roy (Air Force Research Laboratory)
  • Young Investigator Award: Dr. Marianna Maiaru (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
  • Solvay Student Paper Award: Morteza Ziaee (Colorado State University) – “3D Printing of Short Carbon Fiber Composites via Frontal Polymerization”
  • Best Paper Award: K. Berkowitz, R. Guha, O. Idolor, M. Pankow, L. Grace – “Impact Damage Detection Limits of Microwave NDE Technique for Polymer Composites”
  • Best Student Paper Award: Arthur Schlothauer (ETH Zurich) – “Effects of Fiber Non-linearity and Matrix Type on the Realization of Foldable Structures,” presented at AIAA SciTech 2021
  • Ph.D. Research Scholarships:
    • Paulina Diaz-Montiel (San Diego State University)
    • Isaiah Kaiser (University of Akron)
    • Melissa Kate Stanfield (Deakin University, Geelong, Australia)

By the Numbers

  • 507 participants
  • 215 technical papers
  • 92+ technical sessions across 4 divisions
  • 18 countries represented
  • 24 STAs supported online delivery

Organizing Committee

  • Conference Co-Chairs: Prof. Anastasia Muliana and Prof. John Whitcomb (Texas A&M University)
  • Local Organizer: Dr. Ozden Ochoa (Texas A&M University)
  • Platform & Services Lead: Nicole Solecki (Texas A&M Engineering)
  • Awards Chair: Prof. Erian Armanios (University of Texas at Arlington)