Course Description
Learn about ceramics for electrical applications
This course is intended for engineers, technicians, and scientists with an interest in ceramics for electrical applications. Students aren’t expected to know much about electrical ceramics coming in but shouldn’t be scared of basic chemistry, concepts of thermodynamics, or simple circuits. The topics will be taught from an academic perspective but always with an eye toward industry relevance.
Course Format
12 hours of instruction | Every Tuesday & Thursday from April 1–24, 2025
- Intro/Overview; Materials of Interest; Nomenclature; Crystallography & Symmetry
- Applied Electric Fields; Conduction and Insulation; Basic Circuits; Application Examples
- Defects, Ceramic Processing Overview; Polarization Mechanisms; Frequency & Field
- MLCCs and related (ML piezo, LTCC, …)
- Piezoelectricity and Ferroelectricity Basics; Tensor Notation
- Heckmann Diagrams; Pyroelectricity; Ferro and Piezo Applications
- Relaxors; AFEs; Crystals and TGG
- Varistors, PTCR, HTSC, and other fun examples
*Employees of ACerS Corporate Partners receive the discounted Individual Member rate. Sapphire Corporate Partners receive an additional 20% discount; Diamond Corporate Partners receive an additional 30% discount. Please contact Customer Service or 614-890-4700 to register employees at the discounted Corporate Partner rates.

Geoff Brennecka, Ph.D.
Geoff Brennecka is the Herman F. Coors Distinguished Professor of Ceramic Engineering at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., USA. Geoff received BS and MS degrees in ceramic engineering from Missouri S&T and a Ph.D. in materials science & engineering from the University of Illinois, then worked as a member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories before moving to Mines, where he currently directs the Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics (CCAC). His group’s research focuses on the discovery and development of new materials and fabrication technologies with a particular focus on piezoelectric and ferroelectric oxides and nitrides. Geoff has served in many leadership roles including on the Board of Directors of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS), Board Member and President of the Ceramics and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF), Chair and other roles of the ACerS Electronics Division, elected member of the IEEE-UFFC Administrative Committee, various roles on the UFFC Ferroelectrics Committee and various ACerS Committees, and Editor of the Journal of the American Ceramic Society. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, a Fellow of ACerS, and an Academician in the World Academy of Ceramics.
Member Registration Rate
$ 495
Non-Member Registration Rate
$ 595
Course Category
- Fundamentals