The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) ran its 11th PM Summer School at the Fraunhofer Institut IFAM in Dresden during the last week in June. The event was coordinated by Professor José Torralba from the Universidad Carlos III Madrid, in conjunction with Professor Bernd Kieback and his team from the University of Dresden.
As has been the trend over the past few years, the demand far outweighed capacity with 120 applications for the 54 places available. Participants from 14 countries throughout Europe reflected a wide range of organisations, including PM end users.
Students had the opportunity to listen to, discuss and solve problems with some twenty experts from both industry and academia. The lectures were complemented by IFAM's excellent laboratory facilities, where students had hands-on experience in Powder Characterisation, Powder Pressing and Spark Plasma Sintering. An evening at "Carolaschlößchen" in the park, which included the ever popular "Eurovision singsong", rounded off what has proved to be another successful PM Summer School.
For those who were able to stay on afterwards there was a guided tour of Dresden in the afternoon and, in the evening, an insight into the Dresden Science World with the "Long Night of Science". There was free entry and talks at various institutions including the Leibniz Institute, Max Planck Institute, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden University, Fraunhofer and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden "government art collection" amongst others.
Thanks to the ongoing commitment of the EPMA Council a further PM Summer School is planned for June next year to be held at CEIT San Sebastian in Spain. Detailed information will be made available on the EPMA website early in 2012.