[Image above] The ACerS lounge at MS&T15. Credit: ACerS
Traditionally, the last days of the year involve a lot of looking back, and we did a little bit of that earlier this week.
But we also stand on the threshold of a new year and all the opportunity it will offer us. Today, let’s take a moment to anticipate highlights of the ACerS 2016 year.
January—Florida is the place to be!
Basic Science Division and Electronics Division team up for Electronic Materials and Applications, now in its sixth year, in Orlando, Jan. 20–23. Besides a top-notch technical program, EMA concludes with the unique and inspiring Failure Symposium.
The following week, the International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites celebrates its 40th Jubilee anniversary in Daytona Beach, Jan. 24–29. The Engineering Ceramics Division has planned extra festivities—social and technical—to celebrate this momentous milestone.
March Madness
“March Madness” means refractory madness at ACerS in 2016. The St. Louis/Refractory Ceramics Division holds its 52nd annual symposium on the topic of “Refractories for the Ferrous Industry: A Historical Perspective, Present and Future Directions.” The symposium coincides with the release of a new book, “Refractory Material Selection for Steelmaking,” by Tom Vert of ArcelorMittal Dofasco. This book, published by Wiley–ACerS, fills a major gap in reference content for refractory engineers and anyone working in the operations side of the steel industry. Vert covers it all—BOF, EAF, ladles, casters, refractory types, purchasing strategy, and cost.
April is all about energy
The Materials Challenges in Alternative and Renewable Energy conference has earned a reputation here and abroad as the premier technical meeting on the materials science of all alternative and renewable energy technologies. If energy is what drives you, come to Clearwater, Fla., April 17–21.
Forget April in Paris. April in Cleveland is where you want to be, especially if you are on the business side of the ceramic and glass industry, for Ceramic Leadership Summit and Ceramics Expo.
Ceramic Leadership Summit, April 24–26, brings high-wattage leaders to Cleveland for a forum addressing issues that cause executive insomnia—economic factors, changing demographics, workforce development, scaling-up manufacturing operations, supply chain, commercialization, and more.
Ceramic Leadership Summit rolls straight into the second Ceramics Expo trade show for ceramic and glass manufacturers. This year CEX expects to showcase 300 exhibitors for about 2,500 visitors. The free show opens with an Executive Leaders Debate and features a free-to-attend technical conference—see you there April 26–28.
May brings glass to Madison
The Glass and Optical Materials Division holds its Annual Meeting in Madison, Wisc., May 26–27. After two years of joining forces with the German Glass Society (DGG), GOMD returns to its single-society format. GOMD folk can still expect a great technical program.
The ACerS-led AMTech, Functional Glass Manufacturing Innovation Consortium, will hold its second roadmapping session in Madison as GOMD draws to a close. The resulting technology roadmap will guide consortium activities in the future. Watch the FGMIC website for updates on developments.
June, July, and August are hot, hot, hot
Who knows what the weather will be, but the 9th International Conference on High Temperature Ceramic Matrix Composites and Global Forum on Advanced Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Development in Toronto, Canada, June 26–July 1, will have something for everyone involved in high-temperature materials and applications.
In addition, this is a Gordon Conference year—the biannual conference on Ceramics and Solid State Studies will take place July 31–Aug. 5 at Mount Holyoke College, Mass.
Need a trip to Europe? Think about the 6th International Congress on Ceramics, Aug. 21–26 in Dresden, Germany. Themed “From Lab to Fab,” the conference will focus on technology transfer issues and equipment manufacturers. An industrial exhibition will complement technical sessions.
October and November
Fall is a natural time to slow down the pace after a hectic summer—sort of. The annual Materials Science and Technology Conference and Exposition heads west to Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct. 23–27. The Society also holds its Annual Meeting and many of its Division business meetings during MS&T. Over 3,000 materials science experts from all over the world will be there. So should you!
The 77th Glass Problems Conference, organized by our friends at the Glass Manufacturing Industry Council, runs Nov. 7–10 in Columbus, Ohio. It’s the single best place to get expert answers to glass manufacturing problems from other manufacturers dealing with similar resources and constraints.
What, that’s it?
Of course there’s more!
We have an updated Phase Diagrams Online scheduled for release in March 2016. This spring we’ll also be introducing a new ACerS Bulletin Online Archive for members and subscribers to gain access to all 95 years of the Bulletin. And ACerS three journals continue their tradition of scholarly excellence in the ceramic and glass science fields. With Wiley, our publishing partner, we will continue to develop and publish conference proceedings and new books.
Finally, you’ll be hearing more than ever this year about the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation. After nearly two years of diligent groundwork, the CGIF is poised to roll out a number of program initiatives this year designed to ensure a qualified, steady workforce for our industry.