[image] Dileep Singh welcomes nearly 1,200 ceramic and glass scientists from 40 countries to PACRIM12–GOMD in Waikoloa, Hawaii. Credit: ACerS
Aloha from PACRIM12 and GOMD 2017 in stunning Waikoloa, Hawaii!
“It appears all the hard work over past couple years by the symposia organizers and ACerS staff has come to fruition. The success of PACRIM12 is reflected in high quality technical sessions, diverse topical areas, and record number of attendees. My sincere thanks to all the people who have participated to make this possible,” says PACRIM12 organizer, Dileep Singh.
Singh and his army of organizers had much to celebrate at the conference luau on Thursday. PACRIM12 drew a record number of attendees—nearly 1,200—to give 1,400 presentations and 250 posters. With attendees coming from 44 countries, the international character of the conference could be heard everywhere. In fact, only about 40% of attendees hail from the United States—a testimony to the truly international nature of the field of materials science, and ceramic and glass science in particular. The conference closes Friday at noon.
The Glass and Optical Materials Division continued its tradition of holding its annual meeting with ACerS-hosted PACRIMs, which led to a strong technical program balanced between ceramic and glass topics. GOMD’s program included its prestigious award lectures, which take place all week. S.K. Sundaram organized the GOMD technical meeting.
Besides the extensive technical program, the conference provided opportunities for other activities, such as a “town hall” meeting conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, a publishing workshop for young professionals, a meeting for representatives of the Pac Rim societies—and surely much more!
The Hilton Waikoloa Resort is quite large with stunning ocean views. This island was formed by volcano activity, and the surrounding area is a desolate lava-scape that one imagines might be what the moon looks like. Several observatories have been built atop the inactive volcano of Mauna Kea. Several glass scientists here at GOMD told me they worked on the Gemini observatory and some will have the opportunity to visit while here. Mauna Loa, located on the other side of the island, is still an active volcano, and proved an irresistible opportunity for many to visit one of Nature’s furnaces and see materials science in action.
The images below give you a flavor of the early part of the meeting. In addition, a number of students will be reporting on their PACRIM–GOMD experiences through CTT. And, keep an eye on ACerS Flickr page for more images from PACRIM12.
PACRIM13 will take place October 27–31, 2019, in Okinawa, Japan. Mark your calendars!
The Pacific Rim Conference on Ceramic and Glass Technology is a biennial conference held in collaboration with the ceramic societies of the Pacific Rim countries—The American Ceramic Society, The Ceramic Society of Japan, The Chinese Ceramic Society, The Korean Ceramic Society, and the Australian Ceramic Society.
Aloha Hawaii, and mahalo to the PACRIM12–GOMD organizers!
Sunday’s open-air reception at PACRIM12–GOMD. Credit: ACerS
Alfred University’s delegation at the welcome reception. Go Purple! Credit: ACerS
Four outstanding talks in the Monday morning plenary session opened the conference. Credit: ACerS
Friends and colleagues reconnect at the plenary session. From left: Raj Singh, Mrituynjay Singh, Subhash Risbud, and Dileep Singh. Credit: ACerS
This team, organized by Surojit Gupta (center), will report on the student experience at PACRIM–GOMD. Their travel was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation. Credit: ACerS
The Glass and Optical Materials Division program included several award lectures. Kathleen Richardson delivered the G.W. Morey Award lecture on Monday. With her (from left) are Edgar Zanotto, Martin Richardson, Denise Krol, and Arun Varshneya. Credit: ACerS
ACerS journal editors organized a lunchtime forum for young scientists to explain the peer-review publishing process and offered tips for thriving in the “publish or perish” phase of their careers. From left: H.T. Lin, Mario Affatigato, and Bill Fahrenholtz. Credit: ACerS
An open air lanai turned out to be the perfect place to compare notes and discuss science. Credit: ACerS
Erik Svedberg led a “town hall” meeting to gather input from the community on the future of materials science as part of National Academy of Sciences study. Credit: ACerS
The commute to work this week has been exceptionally pleasant. Credit: ACerS