Ceramic Tech Chat

Additive manufacturing is a hot topic in the ceramics industry right now, but that was not always the case. Johannes Homa, cofounder and CEO of Lithoz GmbH in Vienna, Austria, describes his journey to launching the ceramic additive manufacturing company in 2011, some of the challenges that he and his business partner had to overcome, and why he sees a very bright future for the additive manufacturing of ceramics.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Johannes Homa is cofounder and CEO of Lithoz in Vienna, Austria. Homa became interested in the additive manufacturing of ceramics during grad school and launched Lithoz with his cofounding partner, Johannes Benedikt, in 2011. The company is actively involved in education efforts to increase public and market awareness of the opportunities ceramic additive manufacturing offers.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Global collaboration is important, but local manufacturing has its place as well. Washington Mills R&D manager Matthew (Matt) Creedon explains what it is like being a local manufacturer in an increasingly global economy, how R&D takes place at Washington Mills, and why he believes the importance of a ceramic engineer is being more appreciated.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Matt Creedon is R&D manager at Washington Mills in central Massachusetts. As R&D manager, Creedon explores new materials that are fabricated via fusion. Creedon is currently chair of ACerS Manufacturing Division and was chair of the Western New York Section in 2019.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Science is a global endeavor—especially in today's world. Tohoku University assistant professor Theresa (Tessa) Davey discusses the importance of intercultural collaboration, her work using the CALPHAD method, and why she sees diversity and equity as keys to advancing science in the future.

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About the guest
Tessa Davey is assistant professor at Tohoku University in Japan. As a researcher in Tohoku's Fracture and Reliability Research Institute, Davey specializes in using the CALPHAD method, a semi-empirical approach for modeling thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams of multicomponent systems. Davey served as the first international chair of ACerS President's Council of Student Advisors, and she is passionate about promoting intercultural collaboration, diversity, and equity in STEM fields.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Materials research is about more than technical impact—it’s about having a human impact as well. Director of the Materials Research Institute at The Pennsylvania State University Clive Randall discusses the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between scientific fields, his work on cold sintering, and his experience as a first-generation college student.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Clive Randall is director of the Materials Research Institute at The Pennsylvania State University, which encourages a culture of strong collaborations across disciplines. A first-generation college student, Randall looks to emphasize the human impact of materials research and how it helps improve people's lives. He is co-chair of the ACerS Humanitarian Activities Network and led creation of a video on the topic of waterborne diseases and low-cost ceramic water filters that is suitable for all educational levels.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

The global refractories industry offers many fulfilling career paths with opportunities from two-year degree technicians to PhD R&D. Allied Mineral Products vice president of research and development Dana Goski shares the value of two-year technician programs, the importance of and opportunities offered by the refractories industry, and her experience as a woman in the field.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Dana Goski is vice president of research and development at Allied Mineral Products, a global monolithic refractory producer headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Originally from Canada, Goski is an ardent supporter of science and engineering educational outreach activities and appears in the 2016 book "Successful Women Ceramic and Glass Scientists and Engineers: 100 Inspirational Profiles." Goski serves on the North American executive committee for the Unified International Technical Conference on Refractories (UNITECR), received ACerS St. Louis Section Refractories Theodore J. Planje Award in 2019, and will serve as ACerS president 2020–2021.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Did you know ceramics play a vital role in protecting aircraft engines? University of Virginia professor Beth Opila discusses her work on ultrahigh-temperature ceramics at both NASA and university, how good research comes from weaving together ideas from a variety of sources, and her suggestions for students unsure of what career to pursue.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About the guest
Elizabeth "Beth" Opila is professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia since 2010. Before joining the faculty at UVA, Opila was a materials research scientist at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, for 19 years. Her research focuses on thermodynamics and kinetics of high-temperature water vapor interactions with metals and ceramics as well as oxidation mechanisms of silicon-based ceramics, ceramic matrix composites, and ultrahigh-temperature ceramics. Learn more about her research here.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.

Ceramic Tech Chat is a new monthly podcast by The American Ceramic Society that gives you a look at ceramic and glass materials through the eyes of our members. For the guests on our show, being a ceramic scientist or engineer is more than just a job description—it’s the culmination of interesting and sometimes roundabout journeys to a career that lets them make a big impact on today’s world. Through our chats, we get a look into their unique and personal stories of how they found their way to careers in ceramics and learn what they discovered personally, professionally, and scientifically along the way.

View the transcript for this episode here.

About ACerS
Founded in 1898, The American Ceramic Society is the leading professional membership organization for scientists, engineers, researchers, manufacturers, plant personnel, educators, and students working with ceramics and related materials.