����԰

Alethea Muno, Atlas Petrographer, was recently named a recipient of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Emerging Professional Award. The honor recognizes early‑career professionals who demonstrate technical excellence, professional engagement and leadership potential within the materials community. We caught up with Alethea to talk about her path into petrography, what excites her about the work and why this recognition feels so meaningful at this stage of her career.

For Alethea Muno, a career in petrography didn’t follow a traditional path — it began with curiosity and an unexpected connection.

As an undergraduate geology student at the University of Iowa, Alethea was often told her career options were limited to environmental consulting, groundwater remediation or oil and gas. Then a new possibility appeared. Jaclyn Ferraro, a University of Iowa alumna working in concrete petrography, reached out to the department looking for students interested in the field.

The opportunity immediately stood out. Petrography felt more technical, more investigative and better aligned with the kind of impact Alethea hoped to make. Although the role was already filled — and a master’s degree would likely be required — the idea stayed with her and reshaped how she viewed her future.

Rather than feeling limited by traditional expectations, she leaned into that curiosity. She began exploring petrography more seriously, drawn to its hands-on, problem-solving nature. Although graduate school hadn’t been part of her original plan, pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Iowa during the COVID era became a turning point. She entered the program with one goal: gain the knowledge and experience needed to build a career in petrography.

During graduate school, Alethea gravitated toward geotechnical coursework and developed a deeper appreciation for the applied side of geology. As graduation approached, she prepared to begin her career wherever it might lead — unsure when, or if, petrography would become a reality.

Then, not long after graduating, an unfamiliar number appeared on her phone. Normally, she wouldn’t answer. This time, she did.

It was Jaclyn, calling with an offer in concrete petrography — the opportunity Alethea has been working toward for years had finally arrived.

Today, materials science gives her exactly what she was searching for. Through petrography, Alethea examines materials at the microscopic level — helping explain how concrete behaves, informing decisions tied to durability and performance and contributing to infrastructure that serves communities over the long term.

“My whole life I wanted a career where I felt like I was having a real impact,” she says. “Working in material sciences has given me that — and so much more.”

That impact was recently recognized when Alethea was named a recipient of the ASTM Emerging Professional Award, which honors professionals demonstrating technical excellence, professional engagement and leadership potential within the standards and materials community. Recipients are selected by their peers and invited to take a more active role in ASTM’s standards development — helping shape best practices while continuing to grow as future leaders in the field.

For Alethea, the recognition represents both validation and motivation.

“It’s meaningful to have my work recognized so early in my career,” she says. “It affirms that I’m on the right path and encourages me to keep learning and expanding my expertise.”

Alethea will attend the ASTM June Meeting in Dallas to formally accept the award — an opportunity to connect with peers and continue contributing to the standards community.

Alethea first got involved with ASTM shortly after starting her career in April 2022, having encountered ASTM standards during academic research. She attended her first ASTM conference that same year and sees the organization as a long-term professional home — one where she can stay engaged while contributing to the future of the industry.

Mentorship and hands-on learning have played a meaningful role in her development.

She points to the value of working alongside experienced petrographers who reinforced the importance of curiosity, attention to detail and asking the right questions.

One mentor, in particular, continues to stand out. Jaclyn Ferraro, a senior petrographer at Atlas, encouraged Alethea to look beyond narrow definitions of petrography and pursue material science questions that genuinely interested her. That perspective has helped her approach projects with a broader, more multidisciplinary mindset.

Outside of work, Alethea values balance — something she sees as essential in a detail-driven profession. She recharges outdoors through biking, hiking and camping, and she has had a long-standing interest in American Sign Language (ASL). She hopes to one day become a certified ASL interpreter. When she’s not working with materials, she enjoys another creative outlet: cooking — a path she once considered pursuing professionally.

Looking ahead, Alethea is excited about the future of materials science and the role new technologies can play. Her graduate research explored new applications of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to analyze the elemental composition of geologic sediments. She remains interested in how evolving technologies like XRF can expand understanding of materials and support new approaches across the field.

Her biggest ambition, however, is education. Alethea hopes to teach petrography at the university or trade-school level, helping bring awareness of a career path many geology students never encounter.

“There aren’t many petrographers,” she notes — not because of a lack of interest, but because most students simply don’t know the field exists. By bringing petrography into the classroom, she hopes to help others discover the same sense of direction that once changed everything for her.