On December 12 of 2022, the first Material Advantage Chapters of Excellence Seminar (MACES2022) was held at Wuhan University of Technology (WUT). The seminar themed as “Sharing the Future of Material Advantage (MA)” was organized by the International School of Materials Science and Engineering of our University and MA WUT Chapter. Sixteen winning teams of “Chapter of Excellence Award” from universities in China, the United States, Mexico, Egypt and India were invited to the seminar either online or offline.

Liu Zuyuan, Vice President of WUT, Dan Grice, Chairman of MA Committee, and Drew Fleming, Executive Director of MA, attended the opening ceremony. It was presided by Wang Tao, Dean of the International School of Materials Science and Engineering.

Liu Zuyuan extended welcome and gratitude in his speech to the guests attending this seminar. He said that the MACES2022 is a great international platform where 16 excellent chapters meet, aiming at the needs of the new era and the frontiers of science, exchanging their views, learning from each other, inspiring each other with sparks of brilliant ideas, and drawing up a new blueprint for the development of global materials and the growth of the MA chapters.

Dan Grice delivered an online speech in which he expressed his appreciation to WUT for organizing this seminar, and then acknowledged the performance of MA WUT Chapter for having won the Chapter of Excellence Award for five consecutive years. He recalled that MA was initially established by its committee in a hope that the all chapters would collaborate to build a community of materials science and facilitate a dynamic growth of materials as a discipline.

During the seminar the heads of each chapter gave invited talks. University of North Texas aimed at humanities and arts and restored the beauty of “materials in arts” by handmade works of household materials such as candles, glass and ceramics. Colorado School of Mines shared an academic feast of “materials in thought” based on the latest scientific research. Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur) focused on afforestation and environmental protection and promoted the concept of “materials in nature” through ecological planting activities. Combining their features and experiences, all chapters conducted in-depth discussions on cutting-edge research of materials science, construction of student teams and cultivation of students’ learning skills. They consulted each other for programs of cultivating outstanding and innovative talents in materials science.

The opening ceremony of the MACES2022 were also attended by heads of Graduate School, Youth League Committee, International Exchange and Cooperation Office, Testing Center, National Engineering Research Center of Fiber Optic Sensing Technology and Networks, State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures.

The success of this seminar highlights the international influence and appeal of the materials discipline of our university, and also showcases the world our effective cultivation of top innovative talents in the field of materials. The MA WUT Chapter will continue to practice the concept of internationalization, actively play a leading role in the international exchange of MA, and make new contributions to the discipline of materials in our university.

Jointly initiated by four major societies in the field of international materials research—American Ceramic Society, Association for Iron and Steel Technology, American Society for Metals International, Mineral Metals and Materials Society, Material Advantage is a platform for students majoring in materials science and engineering to exchange, innovate and compete, and it was. At present, more than 100 universities worldwide such as the University of California and Columbia University have established the Materials Advantage Chapter. Material competitions and exchanges are held at the annual MS&T Conference. As the first MA chapter in China, WUT Chapter have always been working on the goal of building a world-class material discipline, cultivating top-notch innovative talents, and constantly improving the team charter. It conducts technological innovation, provides social services, and actively encourages students to participate in global materials competitions from academic posters to speeches to broaden their international vision and comprehensive ability. It organizes high-end academic exchange such as International Vision Lectures and Distinguished Scholar Forum to stimulate students' professional interest and independent innovation. What’s more, it exchanges with other MA chapters at university level across the world, for instance, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Pennsylvania State University and University of Suez, to enhance its international reputation and influence.

Written by: Lu Jiaqi, Gao Zhixue, Chen Fei, Mu Chao