Hypersonic Materials Training Program
The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) and the United States Advanced Ceramics Association (USACA) have been awarded a two-year extension of funding from the Department of War (DoW) for their successful “Professional Development for Hypersonic Materials” program. This funding will enable both ACerS and USACA to build upon the strong foundation established through the January 2024 contract award under DoW’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program.
The original program, part of IBAS’ National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative, attracted more than 220 participants from industry, government, and academia, and delivered three full-day short courses and two half-day online courses, focusing on materials for hypersonic applications. The two-year extension will expand this successful model with a comprehensive training approach targeting workforce development in this critical national defense sector.
View the press release(opens in new tab)
Explore the Hypersonic Travel Grant program(opens in new tab)
Upcoming Hypersonic Courses
Ceramic Matrix Composites and Joining of Dissimilar Materials – Nov. 3 & 4, 2026
This virtual short course takes place Nov. 3 & 4, 2026, with each day led by different instructors. Day 1 will focus on CMCs and UHTCMCs, providing a comprehensive overview of their processing, properties, characterization, and scale-up strategies. Day 2 will provide a comprehensive overview of joining solutions for ultra-high-temperature materials used in hypersonic vehicles and thermal protection systems.
Register for Ceramic Matrix Composites and Joining of Dissimilar Materials(opens in new tab)
Past Hypersonic Courses
2026 Courses
Applications of Ceramic Processing to the Development of UHTC Materials – Aug. 19, 2026
This in-person course took place on Aug. 19, 2026, in conjunction with the Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics Conference(opens in new tab) in Golden, Colo., and explored the science and engineering behind Ultra-High Temperature Ceramics (UHTCs), from fundamental definitions to advanced processing and characterization.
Thermal Protection Systems for Space Applications – Aug. 4 & 5, 2026
This in-person course took place on Aug. 4 & 5, 2026, at Gilruth Center in Houston, Texas, and covered the history, state of the art, and future of design, testing, and development of ceramics for spaceflight thermal protection systems.
View the course description for Thermal Protection Systems for Space Applications(opens in new tab)
Testing of Materials in Extreme Environments – May 31, 2026
This in-person course took place on May 31, 2026, in San Diego, Calif. in conjunction with the 12th International Conference on High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites (HTCMC-12) and 3rd Global Forum on Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Development (GFMAT-3)(opens in new tab) meeting. The course covered an introduction to materials in extreme environments as well as an introduction to mechanical and thermal behavior of materials and case studies for doing mechanical and thermal property measurements of CMCs.
View the course description for Testing of Materials in Extreme Environments(opens in new tab)
CMS 2026 Hypersonic Short Course – Jan. 25, 2026
This in-person course took place in conjunction with the 2026 Composites, Materials & Systems Conference(opens in new tab) and covered the history of hypersonic flight and design, hypersonic aerothermodynamics, ceramic processing fundamentals, and an introduction to mechanical properties of ceramics.
View the CMS 2026 Hypersonic Course description(opens in new tab)
Virtual Hypersonic Workshop (2026) – Jan. 6 & 7, 2026
This virtual workshop took place on Jan. 6 & 7, 2026, and was previously taught in January and June 2025. Day one of the course covered history of hypersonic flight and design, hypersonic aerothermodynamics, and an introduction to mechanical properties of ceramics. Day two covered applications of thermal and mechanical properties, materials for RF and IR performance, and composites including carbon/carbon and ceramic matrix composites and their manufacture.
View the Virtual Hypersonic Workshop description(opens in new tab)
2025 Courses
Hypersonic Workshop (On-site in Washington D.C.) – Oct. 29, 2025
This course took place on Oct. 29, 2025, in Washington D.C. and covered the materials science and engineering of ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) materials and ceramic matrix composites (including carbon-carbon composites). It was also previously taught at the 2024 and 2025 CMS Conferences.
View the Hypersonic Workshop (On-site in Washington D.C.) course description(opens in new tab)
UHTC Materials and Properties for Hypersonic Applications 2025 – Jan. 26, 2025
This course took place in conjunction with the Composites, Materials & Systems Conference(opens in new tab). The course covered the history of hypersonic flight and design, hypersonic aerothermodynamics and materials challenges, an introduction to mechanical properties, thermal properties, applications of thermal and mechanical properties, and composites, including carbon/carbon and ceramic matrix composites.
Virtual Hypersonic Workshop (2025) – Jan. 7 & 8, 2025 and June 23–26, 2025
This course took place virtually on Jan. 7 & 8, 2025. Day one covered the history of hypersonic flight and design, hypersonic aerothermodynamics, colloidal processing, shaping methods, and sintering of UHTCs with a focus on additive manufacturing of ceramics, an introduction to mechanical properties of ceramics, and thermal properties of ceramics. Day two covered applications of thermal and mechanical properties, materials for RF and IR performance, composites, including carbon/carbon and ceramic matrix composites and their manufacture, and materials for radiative cooling.
View the Virtual Hypersonic Workshop (2025) course description(opens in new tab)
2024 Courses
Materials for Hypersonic Applications: Materials, Properties, and Manufacturing – Dec. 11, 2024
This course took place on Dec. 11, 2024, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn. and covered hypersonic aerodynamic environments, materials required for hypersonic flight, ultra-high temperature ceramics, and ceramic matrix composites.
UHTC Materials for Hypersonic Applications Short Course – June 2024
This course took place in June 2024 in conjunction with NSMMS-CRASTE Joint Symposia(opens in new tab) in Madison, Wisc. and covered the materials requirements for hypersonic flight and the compositions in development to meet these challenges, with a focus on ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), including UHTC-CMCs.
View the UHTC Materials for Hypersonic Applications Short Course description(opens in new tab)
UHTC Materials and Properties for Hypersonic Applications – January 2024
This course took place in conjunction with the Composites, Materials & Systems Conference.
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(opens in new tab).
Contact Information
For more information on the program, please contact hypersonics@ceramics.org(opens in new tab).