Materials scientists, researchers and engineers recently convened on the UCF campus for the 2023 Science and Technology Emerging Materials Symposium, better known as STEMS. The event featured speakers from across the U.S. who spoke on topics related to the exotic properties of quantum materials, the characterization of novel materials for energy and the environment, and light interaction with quantum matter.
The symposium was organized by the PREM Center for Ultrafast Dynamics and Catalysis in Emerging Materials, an NSF-sponsored partnership between UCF and the University of Washington that aims to develop the next generation of materials scientists and engineers.
More than 80 guests, including NSF program managers, attended the two-day event, which was hosted at the L3 Harris Engineering Center. The symposium included 18 contributed talks and a poster session. Notable speakers included Joshua Robinson, a professor of materials science at Penn State; Michael Filler, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Tracy Lohr, a research scientist at Shell Corporation; and Madhab Neupane, an associate professor of physics at UCF.
Materials science and engineering Assistant Professor Parag Banerjee said this year’s STEMS symposium was a success, not only for the university, but for its students as well.
“The University of Central Florida has the benefit of size and incredible diversity in its student population,” Banerjee says. “For us to host this event means we are able bring valuable networking opportunities to our students and expose them to state-of-the-art materials research.”
Written by Marisa Ramiccio