Happy New Year to our Concrete Community 

The ACI Foundation had a fantastic 2023, and I am very thankful for the commitment from our stalwart donors, our energetic volunteer workforce—the ACI Foundation Trustees, Concrete Research Council, Concrete Innovation Council, Scholarship Council, and Development Committee—as well as the solid work of my staff. I value everyone who contributed to our 2023 annual appeal.

Here are YOUR accomplishments, facilitated by the ACI Foundation: 

• Funded eight research projects, bringing our number of active projects to 30; 
• Completed 11 research projects. Researchers who were provided grant funding finalized their work and submitted the findings back to stakeholders, including technical committees. To read about completed research projects, visit www.acifoundation.org/research.aspx; 
•  Supported over 60 veterans with rebates on ACI Certifications; 
• Awarded 33 students with financial support for education; 
  • The ACI Foundation now manages 46 awards with 26 from outside donors, including four funded by ACI Chapters; 
  • Student awardees have developed a strong connection to ACI and the industry. Data from the last 20 years shows nearly a 95% industry retention rate and a nearly 70% ACI retention rate; 
• Held a successful Technology Forum in Portland, OR, USA, which is our annual 2-day conference focusing on new technologies and innovation. An attendee of the last forum said: “I have attended the last two forums and plan to attend the next one. For me, the format is excellent, with sufficient time for the presentations, discussion, and networking.”

I hope you perused our Concrete International articles throughout 2023, which highlighted current students and former awardees, as well as the impact of our funded research. Look for our annual report within the next couple of months for more information on our activities in 2023.

In 2024, we intend to initiate more ef fective research support for ACI technical committees, launch new fellowships and scholarships, where we can encourage strong student engagement with the community, and host another Technology Forum in Santa Fe, NM, USA on May 14-16, 2024. If you have not attended a Technology Forum yet, please join us. These are more intimate gatherings of about 80 attendees, allowing for better exchange among participants. 

We will be enhancing our website, making it easier to view resources, apply for scholarships and research funding, and donate. We’ll be writing more articles in Concrete International in 2024 that will show how the ACI Foundation stewards the resources that ACI and this concrete community provide. We are looking forward to connecting with more of our community in 2024! 

Ann M. Masek