Society/Division/Section/Chapter News

For more information: ceramics.org

Welcome new ACerS Corporate Partners

ACerS is pleased to welcome its newest Corporate Partners: BCC Research, Gleeble, and Institute of Refractories Engineers.

To learn about the benefits of ACerS Corporate Partnership, contact Marcus Fish, director of development and industry relations, at 614-794-5863 or mfish@ceramics.org.

ACerS Southern and Northern California Sections welcome ACerS President Rajendra Bordia for campus visits

ACerS President Rajendra Bordia visited the Southern California Section members at the University of California, Irvine campus on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, and the Northern California Section members at the University of California, Davis campus on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Bordia gave a presentation in which he shared his plans for the Society. Each day concluded with lab tours and dinner.

ACerS International Italy, Germany, and Spain Chapters co-host happy hour at ICACC 2024

ACerS International Italy, Germany, and Spain Chapters co-hosted a happy hour for Chapter members during the 48^th International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites in Daytona Beach, Fla. Members who attended the happy hour socialized and networked with fellow Chapter colleagues. ACerS past president Sanjay Mathur (2022–2023) and current president Rajendra Bordia also attended the gathering to meet and network with Chapter members from around the world.

Meet the Strategic Planning for Emerging Opportunities Committee

The Strategic Planning for Emerging Opportunities (SPEO) Committee comprises the leaders of ACerS principal committees and Society member groups, such as the President’s Council of Student Advisors, the Young Professionals Network (YPN), and technical interest groups, and several members-at-large. The Committee is responsible for identifying emerging opportunities that the Society should consider as part of its strategic planning process.

ACerS Board of Directors develops ACerS long- and short-term strategy, which, in turn, is implemented through the Society’s committees and member groups. Thus, SPEO serves an important role, complementary to the Board, in setting and achieving the Society’s strategic direction.

Member Highlights

For more information: ceramics.org/members

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Volunteer spotlight: Jie Zhang

ACerS Volunteer Spotlight profiles a member who demonstrates outstanding service to the Society.

Jie Zhang is principal investigator at Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science in the Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. She received a Ph.D. in materials science from the Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Zhang’s research is focused on advanced ceramics and coatings for extreme environment applications. She is dedicated to the fundamental understanding and practical development of novel ceramics and coatings in severe environments.

Zhang was recently recognized as an ACerS Global Ambassador for her work with the Engineering Ceramics Division. She serves as chair-elect of ECD as well as program chair of ICACC 2024.

We extend our deep appreciation to Zhang for her service to our Society!

Names in the News

Members—Would you like to be included in the Bulletin’s Names in the News? Please send a current head shot along with the link to the article to mmartin@ceramics.org. The deadline is the 30^th of each month.

Aldo R. Boccaccini, FACerS, head of the Institute of Biomaterials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, started his two-year tenure as president of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS) in January 2024. He has been a FEMS Board member since 2016, representing the German Materials Society (DGM).

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Aldo R. Boccaccini, FACerS, head of the Institute of Biomaterials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, started his two-year tenure as president of the Federation of European Materials Societies (FEMS) in January 2024. He has been a FEMS Board member since 2016, representing the German Materials Society (DGM).

ACerStudent Engagement: Brittney Hauke

Brittney Hauke is a Ph.D. candidate at The Pennsylvania State University and chair of the Communications Committee for the ACerS President’s Council of Student Advisors (PCSA). Hauke has attended various ACerS conferences, including the Glass & Optical Division Annual Meeting and ACerS Annual Meeting at MS&T, and says she feels supported by the community that ACerS student membership offers.

“Being a student member of ACerS has given me the opportunity to present my research and network amongst my peers at amazing conferences such as GOMD. I have also been able to improve my leadership skills by working in the President’s Council of Student Advisors as the current Communications Committee chair.”

You can take advantage of these opportunities as well by becoming a student member of ACerS. Learn more.

In Memoriam

• Jeff Brundage
• Günter Petzow
• Jack Simon

Some detailed obituaries can also be found on the ACerS website.

Remembering ACerS past president John B. “Jack” Wachtman, Jr.

The American Ceramic Society has lost an esteemed member—John B. “Jack” Wachtman died on Dec. 13, 2023, at the age of 94. He is predeceased by his wife, Edith V. Wachtman.

Wachtman grew up in the small town of Conway, S.C., where he attended public schools. During his early school years, Wachtman was influenced by the discovery of geometry, algebra, and physics. He applied for and received a scholarship from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Wachtman received B.S. and M.S. degrees in physics from Carnegie Tech and was a research and teaching assistant there from 1949–1951. Wachtman stated in his memoir that “my time at Carnegie was perhaps the highlight of my life. I loved the intellectual life and companionship of the students. The curriculum was designed to give scientists and engineers some degree of liberal arts education to the extent that this was possible.”

Wachtman joined the National Bureau of Standards (NBS, now the National Institute of Standards and Technology [NIST]) in 1951 as a physicist in the Engineering Ceramics Division. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Maryland in 1961.

Wachtman left NBS in 1983 and began a second career as the first director of the Center for Ceramic Research at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey–New Brunswick. During his 12 years at Rutgers, Wachtman taught courses on characterization and mechanical properties of ceramics intended for seniors and incoming graduate students.

After retiring from Rutgers, Wachtman wrote books based on the courses he taught. One of these books, Mechanical properties of ceramics, was published in 1996; a revised, second edition that was co-authored with his Rutgers colleagues Roger Cannon and John Matthewson published in 2009. These books were well received, with the first book selling 500 copies in the first six months. According to George Quinn (retired, NIST), these books are by far the best and most balanced textbooks on the topic.

In 1989, Wachtman took on the part-time role as technical editor for ACerS publications, a position he held for 12 years. During this time, his principal focus was on Journal of the American Ceramic Society. In his final year as editor, he, along with ACerS staff, succeeded in putting JACerS online with a subscription system. According to Mark Mecklenborg, ACerS executive director, “Having Dr. Wachtman involved in this process was essential. His knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the Society positioned the journal for success for many years to come.”

One of Wachtman’s final contributions to ACerS was editing the book Ceramic innovations in the 20th century. This book, published in 1999, coincided with the 100th anniversary of the founding of ACerS.

Wachtman collected a multitude of honors from various organizations, including NBS. In his memoir, Wachtman mentioned that the most meaningful honor to him was the election to the International Academy of Ceramics in 1988, as well as serving as president of The American Ceramic Society (1978) and the Federation of Materials Societies (1975). He was a Distinguished Life Member and an ACerS Fellow.

Wachtman was such an inspiration to so many people that it is fitting he ends his memoir with this closing quotation by polymath Albert Schweitzer: “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lit the flame within us.”

Editor’s notes:
ACerS appreciates NIST Library for sharing the “Oral history interview of John B. Wachtman,” Feb. 4, 2010, and Wachtman’s 24-page “Memories and reflections on a career as a scientist-engineer in research management, teaching, and editing,” 2009, revised 2010.

Wachtman also featured in the December 1999 Ceramic Bulletin (Vol. 78, No. 12), pp. 36–41, “Profiles in ceramics” by Kathy Woodward.

Adrian C. Wright, Distinguished Life Member, 1944–2023

Adrian Carl Wright, ACerS Distinguished Life Member and ACerS Fellow, died on March 22, 2023, at the age of 79. Wright, who dedicated his research career to understanding glass structure, was a member of the Glass & Optical Materials Division and also active in the Society for Glass Technology, where he served as the 49th president from 2002–2004.

Wright was professor of amorphous solid-state physics at the University of Reading, U.K. He earned his B.Sc. in chemistry, Ph.D. in physical chemistry, and D.Sc. degrees from the University of Bristol, U.K. After completing his Ph.D. studies, he took a position in 1969 at the University of Reading, where he remained until his retirement as professor emeritus in 2007.

He spent three sabbatical years in the United States working at leading institutions, including Xerox Palo Alto Research Center; Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory; Argonne National Laboratory; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Florida; and New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.

Awards and Deadlines

For more information: ceramics.org/members/awards

Nomination deadlines for Division awards: May 15, May 30, July 1, or July 31

Contact: Vicki Evans

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Class and Division awards: Nominations due Jan. 15, 21, 31 or March 1, 2024

Contact: Vicki Evans

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Nominations for Division Awards

• Deadline: Nomination deadlines for Division awards are XXX
• Contact: Karen McCurdy

Nominations for Society Awards

• Deadline: Nomination deadline is XXX
• Contact: Email Erica Zimmerman or call 614.794.5821.

Students and Outreach

For more information: ceramics.org/resources-for-students

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Introducing the new Ceramic and Glass Career Center

Introducing the new Ceramic and Glass Career Center

The Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF) is proud to present a newly updated Ceramic and Glass Career Center.

The Center is the ideal place for job seekers and employers in the ceramics and glass community to search for their next best opportunity or candidate. The updated site includes new resources and features for both job seekers and employers.

Job seekers can use the site to apply for jobs, upload their resume, and get job alerts so they do not miss out on desired roles. Employers can use the site to post jobs, manage their apps, and search for resumes.

“The CGIF is thrilled to launch the new Ceramic and Glass Career Center, which will directly link job seekers with employers in the ceramics and glass industries,” says Marcus Fish, CGIF director of development and industry relations. “The site will also enable CGIF to support the next generation of ceramic and glass professionals, while providing a dedicated space for employers to find new talent.”

ACerS Corporate Partners can post jobs for free on the Career Center. To learn more about the benefits of becoming an ACerS Corporate Partner, contact Fish at mfish@ceramics.org.

Help CGIF create more resources like the Ceramic and Glass Career Center to support the next generation of ceramic and glass professionals by visiting ceramics.org/donate.

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