2015 Symposia Report
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Presentations will be posted on the Symposium Archive soon. These will be accessible to all participants, who will be notified of their availability. See also:
Foreword by Prof Mike Ashby
Chair of the Symposia’s Academic Advisory Committee
Materials have played an enormous part in the technology advances of the 20th century. Emerging structural, functional, and bio-materials are poised to play an even larger part in the technology of the 21st century. Almost all the “Grand Challenges” identified as the essential technological and social advances for the next three decades have a material dimension. The part materials play in global and national economics and security is, today, so important that governments list the materials they perceive as “critical” and seek to assure access and to identify substitutes or alternatives should their supply chain be disrupted. For these (and many other) reasons, the education of materials-literate engineers and of informed and innovative materials scientists is essential for economic development and growth.
I’m delighted to say that our Materials Education Symposia have established themselves in the calendar as a regular venue at which we can discuss these topics.
They have two overall aims
- To share ideas, innovations, experiences, successes and failures;
- To provoke productive discussion.
This year’s events were again well-attended and lively, and the report provided here aims to give you a flavor of the presentations and discussions.
I am personally grateful to all those who joined me on the Academic Advisory Committee, helping to put together the strong program from the many excellent submissions. I am particularly pleased to acknowledge the support of our local hosts for the North American Symposium: Rudy Buchheit, Alison Polasik, Peter Anderson, and Justin Diles from The Ohio State University. I would also like to thank the following for their continued support: ASM International; American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Materials Division; European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI); Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS); International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES); and the University of Cambridge.
Finally, thanks to the Education Team from Granta Design, who, as ever, oil the wheels and smooth the path on which these Symposia roll.
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See you all next year!
Following the success of this year's events, the Academic Advisory Committee will meet to decide on next year’s Symposium themes in June. They encourage those interested in sharing their materials education experiences to keep an eye on the Symposium website and consider submitting an abstract for a talk or poster... or both!
- 7th North American Materials Education Symposium
University of California, Berkeley, March 17-18, 2016 - 8th International Materials Education Symposium
University of Cambridge, UK, April 7-8, 2016 - 2nd Asian Materials Education Symposium
National University of Singapore, Dec 9-10, 2016