The sign for the Brown House of Learning on the TRU campus

[Image above] Credit: Alan Levine; Flickr CC BY 2.0

CGIF-ACerS

It’s projected that about one million more STEM professionals will be needed in the U.S. alone by 2022, according to the 2012 President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Report on Education.

And recruiting qualified ceramic and glass engineers, researchers, and scientists to enter the field is imperative to nearly every industry focused on innovative clean energy solutions.

To address this growing need, The American Ceramic Society and the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation partnered to create the Ceramic and Glass Career Center—the premiere online resource for matching talented, qualified job and internship seekers with the best career opportunities at leading organizations in the ceramic and glass industry.

But the CGIF has recently launched another initiative—the University-Industry Network, a program that focuses on encouraging schools around the world to align more closely with industry as they continue teaching key concepts in ceramic and glass science. This network provides resources to key professors and undergraduate students and helps connect students with ceramic and glass industry leaders.

Universities that join the network will have access to programmatic resources aimed at ceramic and glass education, and funding will be available to help support programs and initiatives to give undergraduate students more opportunities to develop an interest in the ceramic and glass fields.

“The University-Industry Network is designed to provide students with richer hands-on experiences in the ceramic and glass fields,” says CGIF Development Director Marcus Fish. “It’s vital that these programs get the funding and resources they need to help attract the next generation of professionals to work in the ceramic and glass industry.”

The network is also designed to connect professors and students to industry partners who are passionate about recruiting the next generation through lectures and workshops, plant tours, donation of equipment and supplies, and internship and career opportunities to students who have joined the network.

Five universities have already signed on to pilot the University-Industry Network program: Alfred University (Alfred, N.Y.), Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, Mo.), Pennsylvania State University (State College, Pa.), Clemson University (Clemson, S.C.), and the Colorado School of Mines (Golden, Colo.).

For more information on becoming a member of the CGIF University-Industry Network, contact CGIF Development Director Marcus Fish at 614-794-5863 or mfish@ceramics.org.

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