Financial Times

The Sri Lanka Ceramics Symposium 2006 will present and disseminate information on the latest technology and trends in the global and local ceramic industry and act as a forum for dialogue between local and international ceramic industry professionals

Three members of the faculty of the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering, Alfred University USA will be among high profile resource persons at the Sri Lanka Ceramics Symposium 2006 to be held on June 10 and 11 at the Taj Samudra.

The symposium is organised by the Sri Lanka Ceramics Council, an affiliate of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce on the theme, ‘Ceramics, Today and Tomorrow’.

Dr. Vasantha R.W. Amarakoon, Professor of Ceramic and Electrical Engineering and Director of the New York State Center for Advanced Ceramic Technology will present a paper on the ‘University-Industrial Collaborations in Research’, while Dr. Alastair N. Cormack, Dean of the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering, Van Derck Frechette Professor of Ceramic Science and Director of Graduate Studies for Alfred University will speak on ‘Education and Research at Alfred University’.

Dr. William M. Carty, Professor of Ceramic Engineering, former Director of the Industry-University Research Center in Whitewares, will present the topic ‘Innovations in Ceramic Processing – Issues Related to Energy/ Production Efficiency’.

This Alfred University group also plans to visit the Moratuwa and Peradeniya Universities to explore research and educational collaborative possibilities, as well as visit potential industrial partners in the glass and ceramics industries while in Sri Lanka.

Other resource personnel at the symposium include ceramic experts and specialists from Italy, Portugal, China and Germany. The Universities of Moratuwa and Peradeniya, the Department of Commerce and the EDB will also be presenting papers at the symposium.

The list of topics include global trends in the ceramics industry, an enabling policy environment for the growth of the ceramics industry, managing energy costs, advanced ceramics and ceramics for the future, opportunities for the ceramics industry in Sri Lanka, new technologies shaping the ceramics industry and scientific research.