Alfred University well represented at National Day of Glass Conference
The National Day of Glass Conference was held Wednesday and Thursday (April 6 and 7) in Washington, DC, and several members of the glass science and arts community with ties to Alfred University played prominent roles in the event.
ALFRED, NY – The National Day of Glass Conference was held Wednesday and Thursday (April 6 and 7) in Washington, DC, and several members of the glass science and arts community with ties to Alfred University played prominent roles in the event.
The National Day of Glass was part of the broader United Nations 2022 International Year of Glass (IYOG) celebration. Last week’s conference was chaired by Alfred University alumna and Board of Trustee member Kathleen Richardson, ’82, MS ’88, PhD ’92. Richardson is Pegasus Professor of Optics and Materials Science in CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where she runs the Glass Processing and Characterization Laboratory. Richardson, along with L. David Pye ’59, ’68 Ph.D., emeritus professor of glass science at Alfred University, were instrumental in successful efforts to lobby the UN for the IYOG designation.
It is fitting that Alfred University, its glass faculty and alumni in the glass science field played leading roles in the Day of Glass conference.
“The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University has been tied to the glass science industry and glass art community since our inception in 1900, solidified by the launch of our glass science and engineering degree in 1932,” said Gabrielle Gaustad ’04, dean of the Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University. “The strong ties were abundantly clear at the National Day of Glass as so many of the organizers, speakers, and attendees were affiliates of our programs. Being a part of this event made me incredibly proud of our rich history and excited about our important role in the future of glass.”
The conference, organized by the American Ceramics Society (ACerS) featured technical programming, including panel discussions and talks, from some of the largest companies and greatest minds in the North American glass industry, art community, government agencies, and educational systems which rely on glass.
After Richardson presented the conference’s opening remarks Wednesday morning, several panel discussions and talks were held throughout the two-day event.
The April 6 opening session included a panel discussion, “Educating and Training the Next Glass Generation Workforce,” which was moderated by Christine Heckle ’92, MS ’95, PhD ’98. Heckle, a member of the Alfred University Board of Trustees, is research director for Inorganic Materials Research at Corning Incorporated.
Another session Wednesday, consisting of several talks, was chaired by Pye, who is widely viewed as the architect of the designation of 2022 as the International Year of Glass.
Robert Schaut ’02, scientific director for Pharmaceutical Technologies at Corning Incorporated, served on the Wednesday panel discussion, “Art and Glass in Society.” Schaut is co-inventor of Corning Inc.’s Valor Glass, used in glass vials used to transport COVID vaccines.
Jeffrey Kohli ’86, MS ’87, PhD ’91, chaired a Wednesday afternoon session. Kohli is director of Glass Research at Corning Incorporated.
John Mauro ’01, Ph.D. ’06 gave a talk on Thursday titled “Research for the Glass Age.” Mauro is professor of materials science and engineering and associate head for Graduate Education at Penn State University. He is a former engineer at Corning Incorporated, where he is credited with being the co-inventor of the second iteration of Gorilla Glass, the ultra-thin, scratch-resistant, nearly unbreakable glass used in devices like Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxies.
Gaustad ’04 chaired a series of presentations Thursday afternoon. Among them was a talk presented by Alfred University alumnus Don McPherson ’84 M.S., ’88 Ph.D., titled “A Rose is a Rose is a Rose: What Color Blindness Reveals about Perception.” McPherson is chief science officer and co-founder of EnChroma, a San Francisco Bay Area maker of eyeglasses for people with color blindness.
Also on Thursday, Mark Zupan, Alfred University president, presented a talk titled “Alfred University and Glass Science and Art.” Arun Varshneya, emeritus professor of glass science at Alfred University, gave a talk titled “On the Shoulders of Giants.” Doris Moncke, professor of glass science at Alfred University, chaired a Thursday afternoon session.
Recordings of the conference will be made available to the public on the ACerS National Day of Glass website.