ACerS Young Professionals Network (YPN)

The Young Professionals Network (YPN) is designed for ACerS members who have completed their terminal degree or are 25 years of age and up to 40 years of age.

Expand your circle through ACerS Young Professionals Network (YPN)

The American Ceramic Society’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) aims to:

  • Attract and retain young professionals as members of The American Ceramic Society
  • Connect young professionals with opportunities to actively contribute and take on leadership roles in the Society
  • Create a technical and social network amongst young professionals within the Society
  • Provide opportunities for professional development training of relevance to young professionals
  • Facilitate networking between YPN members and senior leaders in the ceramics and glass communities

Join the growing YPN community

If you have completed your university career and/or are between the ages of 25-40, you are encouraged to join the ACerS Young Professionals Network (YPN).

You may join this growing community by logging in to your ACerS Personal Snapshot and marking "Young Professionals Network (YPN)" under the Interest Groups and Communities tab.

Oversee the newly created YPN+1 Program.

Organize the monthly YPN Connect virtual networking events.

organize and moderate ACerS webinars on professional and personal development topics.

Create and maintain YPN events (such as the Lunch with a Professional program) offered at ACerS conferences.

Communicate current opportunities, events, and provide updates regarding the YPN's community.

CURRENT CALLS FOR VOLUNTEERS

Interested in becoming involved in the YPN Steering Committee? Join us within one of the following YPN subcommittees: YPN+1, YPN Connect, YPN Webinars, YPN Programming, YPN Communications.

Volunteer(s) must be a current ACerS member. Ideally volunteer(s) will be a member of the YPN who have completed their university/student career and are 40 years of age or under.

To inquire and/or express interest, reach out to Yolanda Natividad with the name(s) of the subcommittees you are interested in joining.

YPN Connect - March

Join us for the upcoming ACerS YPN Connect event scheduled for Thursday, March 21, 2024 at 11:00 am EST / 4:00 pm UTC.

This virtual event is open to both ACerS YPN members and non-members, so be sure to invite your colleagues and friends!

Register below - we look forward to seeing you there!

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YPN+1 Program - NEW

Stay connected

The YPN+1 Program offers the following ways that YPN members may seek to become involved in leadership roles.

  • YPN Division Liaison
  • YPN Symposium Co-organizers

ACerS Member Community
Join us in the Young Professionals Network group within the ACerS Member Community.

LinkedIn
Join us in the ACerS Young Professionals Network (YPN) group.

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Advance your Career

Volunteer with the YPN

Invaluable Connections

“The connections that I’ve made through The American Ceramic Society have been invaluable. I highly encourage anyone to get involved with the Society.”

Geoff Brennecka, Colorado School of Mines

2022-2024 Young Professionals Network (YPN) Steering Committee

2022-2024 YPN Co-Chair

Christopher Kassner, Air Force Research Laboratory

2023-2025 YPN Co-Chair

Alessandro De Zanet, Leonardo Labs

YPN STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Mark Losego, Georgia Tech

David Poerschke, University of Minnesota

Shiv Prakash Singh, International Advanced Research Center for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI)

Briana Tom, Harper International

Kelsey Cannon, LM Space

Dillip Panda, Clemson University

Zhezhen Fu, Penn State Harrisburg

Lavina Backman, Naval Research Laboratory

Ashley Hampton, Allied Mineral Products

Kathryn Goetschius, Corning, Inc.

Emmanuel Rowe, Middle Tennessee State University

Ângelo Cristante, Vesuvius

Pandiyarajan Thangaraj, Indian Institute of Information Technology

Chuancheng Duan, Kansas State University

Elena Tajuelo-Rodriguez, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Katie Detwiler, Air Force Research Laboratory

The YPN Steering Committee is composed of members who are actively engaged in identifying and executing specific activities and tasks to further the goals of the YPN within any given year, as determined by the YPN co-chairs.

The YPN’s initiatives for 2022 include:

  • YPN + 1 Initiative – launched as of January 2022!
  • YPN Connect (informal networking virtual events) – created to connect YPN members across the globe for networking opportunities outside of conference events.
  • YPN is actively helping to define and support the roll out of ACerS Strategic Initiatives.
  • Reorganization of YPN Steering Committee in order to focus on the following topics: YPN Connect, YPN+1, YPN Communications, YPN Programming, YPN Webinars

Ongoing YPN initiatives include:

  • Lunch/Network with a Professional – offered in conjunction with a variety of ACerS conferences throughout the year.
  • Webinars – offered under the ACerS Professional Skills and Personal Development Webinar Series, the YPN organizes several webinar offerings throughout the year.
  • Collaboration - The YPN Steering Committee strives to work with groups such as the PCSA, to co-organize programs and events, as well as to more clearly define a path from student to young professional.
  • Du-Co Ceramics Young Professional Award

Become an Individual or Associate Member

If you are a recent graduate, ACerS can help you succeed by offering you a FREE Associate Membership.

By becoming an ACerS Individual or Associate Member, you’ll have access to valuable resources that will benefit you now and throughout your career.