An aboriginal dance troupe teaching PACRIM9 attendees a few moves. Credit: ACerS
Recently returned from Cairns, Australia, Charlie Spahr, ACerS executive director, reports that PACRIM9 was a successful, and distinctly Australian, conference:
The event drew more than 700 delegates representing 35 countries and included approximately 150 student representatives. About 20 percent of the attendees were Aussies, and they were gracious hosts throughout. Thanks go out to Phil Walls, chairman of PACRIM9 and president of the Australian Ceramic Society, as well as the organizing committee, for their efforts in putting it all together.
ACerS was represented by a strong contingent of members led by our president, Marina Pascucci. Most of our divisions had members there, with a particularly strong showing from Basic Science, Engineered Ceramics and Glass & Optical Materials divisions.
Dr. and Mrs. Akio Makishima, left, with Marina Pascucci and Charlie Spahr. Makishima is the International Ceramic Federation's immediate past president.
PACRIM9 also included the International Conference on Advances in the Fusion and Processing of Glass (AFPG-9), organized by ACerS members Arun Varshneya, Helmut Schaeffer and L. David Pye. Two other ACerS members, Jay Singh and Neil Alford, delivered well-received presentations at the opening plenary session.
The conference dinner featured local entertainment by an aboriginal culture dance troupe (see photo above) which, it’s fair to say, generated a lot of audience involvement. Heretofore unknown dancing skills of several ACerS members were on display (alone worth the price of admission).
Finally, H.T. Lin presented an effective promotion for the upcoming PACRIM10, which will be hosted by ACerS in June 2013. Lin will chair this conference to be held at the Coronado Hotel in San Diego, Calif. We hope to see many of you there.