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Katherine Faber, president of the 4th International Congress on Ceramics, on “Shaping the Future of Ceramics.” Credit: ACerS.

I really enjoy going to meetings. The big, conference kind, that is — not so much the day-to-day inhouse kind!

Conferences give me the chance to follow the buzz: the who, what, where and how of ceramic technology. I get the technical details from the sessions, but I get the most out talking to meeting the attendees about their work, what trends they are seeing, who they are collaborating with, what problems they are encountering, etc.

There is just no substitute for the “live action” that happens at a meeting. So, I’m really looking forward to the 4th International Congress on Ceramics this July in Chicago.

International Ceramic Federation convenes these international congresses biennially in cooperation with several international societies. ACerS is the host and organizing society of this fourth congress. ACerS had the privilege of hosting and organizing the first ICC in Toronto in 2006 and is very pleased to reprise the role.

The theme of this congress is “Shaping the Future of Ceramics,” and as you might expect, this refers not just to processing and properties, but also to the business of ceramic science, engineering, product development and manufacturing.

Katherine Faber, president of the ICC4 says the meeting is “designed to bring together international leaders in business and research to investigate new opportunities and emerging opportunities in terms of ceramic design and ceramic manufacturing.”

Indeed, the meeting is organized into themes that reflect this goal: Aerospace; Aerospace; Biology and Medicine; Electro-, Magnetic-, Optical-Ceramics and Devices; Environment, Energy and Transportation; Infrastructure; Nanostructured Ceramics; Security and Strategic Materials; and Workforce Development. Over 600 international attendees representing business, academia and government are expected.

The technical program, Faber says, “is geared toward emerging opportunities in energy, health, transportation and aerospace. We’ll also hear about nanotechnology and nanodevices, as well as other electrical, optical and magnetic materials.”

It seems natural, then, that this year ACerS’s Ceramic Leadership Summit be incorporated into ICC4. The CLS, now in its third year, is a forum for exploring and addressing the business issues and challenges facing the ceramics and glass industries, in both realms of established industries and emerging technologies.

Faber notes, that the combined meeting is an opportunity to bring together those “creating the knowledge and doing the innovating,” to the mutual benefit of all.

There is a lot more going on—an innovative poster session, a short course on sintering, keynote and plenary talks—all in the pleasant setting of downtown Chicago. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing with you a sampling of the talks that are scheduled for ICC4 and CLS and other updates as we learn about them.

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