Meet ACerS president Monica Ferraris

With members from more than 70 countries around the world, The American Ceramic Society is a truly global organization that connects professionals in academia, industry, and government through their shared love of ceramics and glass.

Leading a group composed of so many different cultural backgrounds, however, can be challenging. Fortunately, this year’s ACerS president, Monica Ferraris, excels at joining both people—and materials—together.

Ferraris’ experience with bringing people together started right after her master’s graduation, when the Italian Telecommunications Research Center hired her to conduct spectroscopic analyses of optical fibers, the foundation of modern communication networks. This venture was her first time working with glass, and it led her to conduct research on other types of glasses as well.

Ferraris took a detour from the glass world to work in the research center of Italian automobile manufacturer Fiat on metals and composites. But this position also allowed her to collaborate with researchers at Politecnico di Torino, where she eventually ended up being hired as a professor.

At Politecnico di Torino, Ferraris and her research group work on joining and coating all sorts of materials, with a focus on ceramics and glass. For example, they use glasses to join ceramic and composite materials together for high-temperature applications, such as in aerospace and nuclear systems, and they developed an antibacterial and antiviral coating that proved effective against SARS‑CoV‑2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

“Together with my colleagues, the development of this antibacterial and antiviral coating was one of our best and greatest achievements,” Ferraris says. “When the pandemic first started, I originally felt so out of control. But demonstrating the effectiveness of this coating was such a huge relief and so empowering. It felt incredible.”

Ferraris credits ACerS as a key part of her journey into joining and coating research. When she first started at Politecnico di Torino, she was asked to join ceramic matrix composites together for nuclear applications. She did not know much about these materials, so she attended an ACerS conference that was focused on high-temperature composites.

“It was a very focused and excellent conference in terms of content, but I also got to start knowing the ACerS community. I joined the Society then and have never left,” she says.

Among Ferraris’ many contributions to the Society, she and professor Paolo Colombo at the University of Padova cofounded the ACerS International Italy Chapter in 2017. In the years since, they have organized numerous self-standing and annual events through the Chapter, including a workshop called “Le mille vite del vetro” (The thousand lives of glass) that brings together companies and researchers in the glass sector.

Of the annual Chapter events, Ferraris says her favorite is the happy hour held for ACerS International Chapter members at the International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“When you are in a relaxed environment like the happy hour, you chat and there are new ideas popping up. Just stepping back, having that relaxed conversation is one of the best ways to help ideas and thoughts flow,” she says.

Along this same vein, during her year as ACerS president, Ferraris plans to focus on what she calls the three “Ms”: members, meetings, and marketing. She views these three areas as the pillars that join people together most effectively.

Ultimately, Ferraris thanks all her colleagues for the opportunity to serve as ACerS president and looks forward to the collaborations and activities this year has in store.

Return to main article: “Celebrating 30 years of leadership: A look at ACerS past women presidents”