The 4th International Congress on Ceramics with the 3rd Ceramic Leadership Summit track

ACerS director of membership and marketing, Megan Bricker, coordinates the Society’s outreach to students and young professionals. Here she tells us about what’s in store for the youthful ceramic materials professionals and what they are saying about ICC4-CLS.

The 4th International Congress on Ceramics is a great place for leaders in the ceramic materials field to address the dynamically changing landscape in the manufacturing and industrial arena. But that’s not the only audience who will benefit from attending this vibrant conference. The future of the industry will be changed and molded with a lot of support and input from current students and young professionals in the field. And ICC4-CLS is just the place to help this young generation get prepared for the challenges that lie ahead and make needed connections with leaders in the community.

Thanks to the support of the ceramic materials community (National Science Foundation, Ceradyne, Inc., ArcelorMittal, John Wiley & Sons, and the Basic Science Division of The American Ceramic Society), students and young professionals will receive some scholarship and travel grant money to be able to attend the conference.

“This conference can be an important networking tool not only for myself, but for industry people looking to start collaborative ceramics research with a university. Applying for this travel grant helps me and my university get the message out on our research and make lifelong professional connections, ” said Troy Ansell, PhD candidate from Oregon State University.

Those already working, early in their career, feel ICC4-CLS will be an excellent opportunity to present their own ideas and the results of their work to other attendees. And the new Interactive Technology Forum will give those excited about sharing ideas and research just that chance.

“This is really cool [the Interactive Technology Forum], we’re all working on these game-changing advanced technology projects, and I think this new way for presenting what we’re all working on is great. If I’m working on the next great advance in power generator coatings or biomimetics I need way more than two dimensions to present that in a compelling way,” boasts Ed Herderick, young professional at EWI, a materials-joining innovation center.

Students and young professionals are gearing up and looking forward to attending ICC4-CLS for all of the world-changing content they will hear, the important connections they will make and the rare opportunity to present their research and ideas in a nontraditional format. The fact that the venue is in the fun, busy city of Chicago …well that’s icing on the scientific cake!

Author

Eileen De Guire