2023 Symposium on Materials Innovations Brings Together Researchers and Industry Experts

Materials research at Georgia Tech is broad — from fundamental physics and chemistry to simulation, synthesis, processing, and characterization, to properties that impact structural, chemical, biomedical, electronic, optical, magnetic, thermal, and energy applications. The Institute for Materials (IMat) brings together faculty and students studying materials from across campus to accelerate the pace of research, discovery, deployment, and applications.

To further this mission, IMat and the School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) co-hosted the 2023 Brumley D. Pritchett Lecture and IMat Symposium on Materials Innovations on March 31, 2023. The Symposium included talks from invited speakers and Georgia Tech faculty, a poster contest, and networking opportunities.

“The 2023 IMat Symposium on Materials Innovations was a great success,” said Eric Vogel, IMat’s executive director. “The talks were interesting, and the audience was engaged.”

The prestigious Brumley D. Pritchett lecture featured Giulia Galli, the Liew Family Professor of Electronic Structure and Simulations at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago. Galli’s talk was on Complex Materials from First Principles: From Sustainable Energy Sources to Quantum Information Science.

The Symposium content focused on new advances in materials science and their applications in various industries. Guest speakers included Christophe Levy from Holcim Innovation Center and Carmel Majidi, a professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Levy started off the day with his talk on industrial innovations in the cement and concrete domain and Majidi discussed integrated soft materials for human-compatible machines and electronics.

Georgia Tech speakers included Associate Chair for Research and Woodruff Professor in the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering Anna Erickson, IMat Science Advisor and Professor Martin Mourigal, Assistant Professor Vida Jamali, Associate Professor and Vasser-Woolley Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator in Sensors and Instrumentation Jason Azoulay, and Assistant Professor Victor Fung.

More than 20 students participated in the poster contest with presenters from the Schools of Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Aerospace Engineering.

The winning poster and recipient of a $500 prize was submitted by Rahul Venkatesh. His poster was on “Data-Enabled Experimental Development of Polymer-Based Organic Electronics.” In addition to the winner, three finalists were also selected. Presenters of the finalist posters included Daniel Aziz, Carolina Colon, and Harsh Verma. Each received a prize of $250.

This was the second year IMat and MSE hosted the Symposium, and it provided attendees with valuable insights into the latest advances in the field of materials science. It also provided an opportunity for researchers and students to network and collaborate, paving the way for future breakthroughs in materials science.