Image rendering of a hypersonic vehicle in space.

Hypersonic Materials Training Program

On Jan. 8, 2024, the Department of Defense Cornerstone Consortium under the DOD Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program and the National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative awarded The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) a contract to develop a sustainable, targeted, workforce training program on the science and engineering of materials for hypersonic applications.

ACerS has partnered with the United States Advanced Ceramics Association (USACA) to create a comprehensive hypersonic materials training program. The goal of this program is to target those working in industry, national labs, DOD agencies, and others working in the field who may be outside the reach of academic programs.

View this press release for more information.

Short Courses Offered

  • UHTC Materials and Properties for Hypersonic Applications instructed by Prof. Rodney Trice
    • This course took place in January 2024 in St. Augustine, Fla. in conjunction with the Composites, Materials & Systems Conference
    • This course focused on ultra-high temperature materials and their properties and was ITAR compliant.
  • UHTC Materials for Hypersonic Applications Short Course instructed by Prof. Rodney Trice, Mark Opeka, Ph.D., and John Schmisseur, Ph.D.
    • This course took place in May 2024 in Madison, Wisc. in conjunction with NSMMS-CRASTE Joint Symposia
    • This course focused on materials and their manufacture, materials selection and introduction to testing, and dynamic testing methods and was ITAR compliant.
  • Materials for Hypersonic Applications: Materials, Properties, and Manufacturing instructed by David Lipke, Ph.D. and John Schmisseur, Ph.D.
    • This course took place place on December 11, 2024, in Oak Ridge, Tenn. at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
    • This course focused on CMC materials, properties, and manufacturing and was CUI compliant.
  • Virtual Hypersonic Course instructed by Prof. Rodney Trice
    • This virtual course took place from January 7–8, 2025, from 1–5 p.m. ET.
    • Please note: This is a Distribution A event.
  • UHTC Materials and Properties for Hypersonic Applications 2025 instructed by Prof. Rodney Trice
    • This course took place on January 26, 2025, in St. Augustine, Fla. in conjunction with the Composites, Materials & Systems Conference
    • This course focused on the materials science and engineering of ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) materials, ceramic matrix composites (including carbon-carbon composites), and some refractory metals to support the design and manufacturing sustainment and was ITAR compliant.

About ACerS

Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for ceramic and materials scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students. The Society serves more than 10,000 members from more than 70 countries.

About USACA

Founded in 1985, the U.S. Advanced Ceramics Association champions the business interests of the advanced ceramic producers and end-users. Its members range from the largest U.S. industrial companies to smaller corporations dedicated to the manufacture of advanced ceramic products. For more information, visit https://advancedceramics.org.

Contact

Contact Amanda Engen, director of communications and workforce development, at aengen@ceramics.org for more information on the program.