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This year’s themes included innovation in materials science, meeting industry needs, and preparing students for the real world. The debate (a new innovation) was engaging and exciting with many contributions from the packed lecture room. 37 posters were presented, provoking some lively discussions over coffee.
The talks included examples of both success and failure, with speakers sharing which innovations didn’t go so well, as well as inspiring people with new ideas. Read Mike Ashby’s summary of what was discussed and hear from speakers including Prof Lorna Gibson (MIT) and Prof George Smith (Oxford) by downloading the report below.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to join us at MIT
 Leading materials educators from around the world will share their experience at the 8th North American Materials Education Symposium, hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, on August 24-25. The impressive list of speakers includes Dr Norman Fortenberry (ASEE), Prof James Shackelford (UC Davis), Prof Lorna Gibson (MIT), Prof Mike Ashby (Cambridge), and Dr Bryce Meredig (Co-founder of Citrine Informatics).
This year’s theme is Materials Education Innovation, with sub-themes of Engaging students; Online Education; and the ‘Maker’ Movement. There is a packed agenda of talks and poster sessions for the Symposium, which is preceded by a hands-on CES EduPack short course on August 23. We look forward to seeing you and colleagues there!
3. Mike Ashby Outstanding Materials Educator Award
 As part of Granta’s mission to support Materials Education worldwide, we are co-sponsoring the Michael Ashby Outstanding Materials Educator Award with the Materials Division of ASEE. The first recipient of this award is Dr Amy Moll, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Dean of the College of Engineering at Boise State University, USA. Dr Moll will receive her award and give an invited talk on “Promoting Educational Reform through Institutional Transformation” at the Annual ASEE Conference (June 26-28) in Columbus, OH, USA.
Nominations for the 2018 Award are now open. You can find more information, including how to submit your nomination before September 1, via our website.
4. Download a database to engage engineers and inspire designers
A new, extra database is now available to all who use CES EduPack 2017. The Products, Materials and Processes database, which was a Pre-release version last year, received such great feedback that we are making it available to everyone. Prof Mark Miodownik, of University College London, has found that using this database means his students are provided with “an intuitive way to understand how materials properties are related to the whole range of products from kitchen equipment to jet engines”.
Students at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, said that “the software was really helpful”, and they particularly praised the simplified designer’s view with its aesthetic attributes.
5. Sharing experience in workshops and short courses
If you are looking for inspiration, come to one of our workshops. Over the next 6 months, Granta will be running short courses and workshops in the United States, UK, Germany, Greece, Portugal, and Russia. These events are an opportunity to share your experience of teaching materials, while at the same time picking up practical tips on CES EduPack, and learning more about topics such as Sustainable Development and Materials Selection.
Upcoming workshops:
- Jun 28: Materials Data and Tools for Selection, Design and Decision-Making, ASEE, Columbus, OH, USA
- Jun 28: Green Engineering – Materials, Eco-Design and Sustainable Development with CES EduPack, ASEE, Columbus, OH, USA
- Jul 27: CES EduPack Workshop, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany
- Aug 23: CES EduPack Short Course, MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Sep 26: Russian Seminar & CES Selector Workshop, MISIS, Moscow, Russia.
We will be running workshops at these events:
We will add more details for these workshops, and others, to our website as these become available.
6. Collaborating with Universities and Industry
Collaboration is a core part of how Granta works – here are two interesting recent examples.
 The ground-breaking AMAZE project, set up to transform Additive Manufacturing of metallic components into a mainstream industrial process, will present its results this month. Granta is one of the 26-strong consortium, including 7 Universities and the Fraunhofer Institute, in the European Union collaborative project. Our expertise in materials data management enabled efficient sharing and analysis of the project results. The AMAZE Technology Forum is on June 7 in Coventry, UK: use the link below to register (use discount code AMAZECONSORTIUM).
 SusCritMat is a new EU-funded collaborative project aimed at educating the next generation of materials experts on how to sustainably manage critical raw materials. Granta is a partner in this project, providing expertise on education in Sustainable Development and materials selection for eco design. We recently hosted the consortium of universities, research organizations and industry at our offices, and look forward to announcing the first winter school run by the project, scheduled for January 2018.
7. Introductory Materials Science & Engineering: new resource
 The relationship between processing, structure and properties is fundamental to Materials Science and Engineering. Granta is working on new resources to support the introduction of this topic. A new database, with functional and bio materials as well as structural ones, an Interactive Phase Diagram Tool, multiple choice questions, and Mini Active Learning Projects will be provided.
In July, we hope to be able to distribute a Pre-release of this package to those that already teach introductory Materials Science and Engineering using CES EduPack 2017. On August 2, Mike Ashby will run a webinar to introduce the database and resources as part of our regular CES EduPack online training.
Anyone who registers to receive this database may use it with their students this Autumn – we just ask for your feedback so that we can refine the database.
8. Inspirational online CES EduPack training
 Join members of the Granta Education Development Team for inspirational, interactive, web-based training which is exclusive to educators using CES EduPack. Sessions are usually held on the second Wednesday of each month – but in a change for the summer months, we have no training in July and two sessions in August.
Jun 14: Beyond CES EduPack – CES Selector and CES Constructor
Aug 2: Processing, Structure and Properties – New database for Introductory Materials Science and Engineering
Aug 9: Getting Started with CES EduPack
9. Upcoming events, short courses and webinars
June:
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8 |
Webinar: Automotive Materials Choice – The Bigger Picture |
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26-28 |
ASEE, Columbus, OH, USA |
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28 |
Workshop: Materials Data and Tools for Selection, Design and Decision-Making, ASEE, Columbus, OH, USA |
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28 |
Workshop: Green Engineering – Materials, Eco-Design and Sustainable Development with CES EduPack, ASEE, Columbus, OH, USA |
July:
August:
September:
October:
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142 people from around the world gathered in Cambridge in April for the 9th International Materials Education Symposium (IMES) – the largest event to date. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with almost everybody saying they would recommend it to their colleagues. The collegiate, supportive atmosphere was particularly valued by attendees. 
