Material Strength & Durability Symposium, part II
On 8 June 2023, the 2nd Material Strength & Durability Symposium took place in the Alumni Pavillon at ETH Zentrum. Over 60 participants followed talks by top-class speakers and five doctoral students pitching their research.
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The audience was captivated by Prof. Arjan Mol's talk -
Yaqi Zhao (D-BAUG) during her winning pitch -
Lively discussions among participants and speakers during dinner
The 2nd Material Strength and Durability Symposium was organised by MaP Doctoral School and co-hosted by Prof. Laura De Lorenzis (D-MAVT) and Prof. David Kammer (D-BAUG). Over 60 doctoral students, postdocs, as well as faculty attended the event. It featured talks by Prof. Vikram Deshpande (Cambridge University), Prof. Arjan Mol (Delft University of Technology), Prof. Horacio Espinosa (Northwestern University), and Prof. John Kolinski (EPFL).
At the pitch competition, five doctoral students took the opportunity to present their own research. The audience awarded most votes to Yaqi Zhao of D-BAUG (Computational Mechanics of Building Materials). She gracefully accepted a box of chocolates as her award.
Speakers as well as doctoral students in the Material Strength & Durability track concluded the day at Commihalle, enjoying a delicious spaghettata and networking across departments and groups.
Yaqi Zhao sums up her impressions of the Material Strength and Durability Symposium as follows:
"The Material Strength & Durability Symposium, hosted by the MaP Doctoral School at ETH Zurich, provided a remarkable platform for expanding knowledge. Engaging talks by renowned speakers, including Prof. Deshpande (Cambridge University), Prof. Mol (TU Delft), Prof. Espinosa (Northwestern University), and Prof. Kolinski (EPFL), covered a wide range of topics, from theory to experiments, and from fracture mechanics to meta materials and machine learning, enhancing my understanding of material properties.
Participating in the pitch session, alongside four other PhD students, was a true honour. Winning the first prize not only validated my research and presentation skills but also ignited a stronger passion for my studies.
The symposium's highlight was the delightful dinner at an Italian restaurant, where I had the invaluable opportunity to connect with the esteemed speakers. Their insights and advice served as guidance, propelling my academic journey with renewed enthusiasm.
Overall, the Material Strength & Durability Symposium was a transformative experience that provided fresh perspectives, recognition, and meaningful connections. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the MaP Doctoral School for organizing this impactful event, which will undoubtedly inspire my continued growth in the field of material science."
Detailed info on the symposium website