The 2017 edition of the Materials Science and Technology Technical Meeting took place October 8–12 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The conference was a resounding success, and the numbers tell the story:
- 3,206 attendees from 46 countries
- 872 students
- 96 expo exhibitors
- 82 symposia
Symposia topics demonstrated the leading-edge nature of the conference:
- Eight symposia were dedicated to additive manufacturing;
- Nine symposia had ‘advanced materials’ or ‘advancements’ in their titles;
- Symposia addressed materials for energy, electronics, health care, aerospace;
- Dedicated symposia on data informatics and tools, along with modeling and simulation showed the rising importance of computational methods in materials R&D;
- Career development and education symposia focused on attracting young materials scientists and helping them find their niche in our field.
MS&T 2018 will be October 14–18 in Columbus, Ohio. Mark your calendars now!
The American Ceramic Society also holds its Annual Meeting and awards banquet at MS&T. On Monday, October 8, President Bill Lee and other officers reported on the State of the Society, recognized outgoing board members and officers, and inducted new board members and officers.
Lee reviewed his year and reported on achievements regarding his top three priorities, which were strengthening ACerS international outreach, supporting young members, and engaging industry. On the international outreach front, Lee reported the start-up of ACerS first international chapter in the UK. The chapter held a successful first meeting that attracted a large number of people from academia and industry. Other international chapters will soon be established in Italy, India, and Canada.
Students gained a formal voice in the last year with a non-voting seat on the Board of Directors, and representation on the executive committees of each division and the ACerS Strategic Planning for Emerging Opportunities committee. In addition, the board approved Lee’s proposal to establish the Global Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award to recognize excellence among recent Ph.Ds.
Lee highlighted the new ACerS Corporate Partnership Program, saying, “It’s very much a partnership, not a membership program.”
Also in the past year, a new subcommittee on diversity and inclusion was established under the Membership Committee and is led by Susan Sinnott. In May, Lee challenged the board to consider humanitarian initiatives the Society might undertake. A subcommittee chaired by Greg Rohrer reported at the October board meeting on activities and partners that would be appropriate for ACerS.
Treasurer Dan Lease reported the Society’s finances continue to maintain a strong asset/liability position. Executive director Charlie Spahr updated the membership on changes to MS&T starting in 2020 with ASM leaving the partnership, and the opportunity to strengthen ACerS presence in a “new MS&T.”
Incoming president Mike Alexander shared his goals for the coming year, which include focusing on volunteerism, working toward the betterment of humanity through the Advocacy Committee and the Humanitarian subcommittee, and promoting a holistic view of engineering as applying the science while engaging the arts. “We need to reenergize curiosity and creativity,” he says, “and recreate the wonder of ceramics—the best materials out there.”
ACerS presented awards at the annual Honors and Awards Banquet on Monday night. President Bill Lee elevated 15 members to Fellow and awarded ACerS highest honor of Distinguished Life Member to Richard Bradt, Marina Pascucci, and Masahiro Yoshimura. Other distinguished members and corporations were also recognized.
View pictures from MS&T, the Annual Meeting, Honors and Awards Banquet, and perennial favorites such as the Mug Drop contest on ACerS Flickr site.
See you next October in Columbus, Ohio!
President Bill Lee reports on the State of the Society. Credit: ACerS
Incoming president Mike Alexander (left) accepts the official president’s ceramic gavel from President Bill Lee. Credit: ACerS