News

As tradition dictates, we kicked off the year with our annual Photo Contest. This time, we broke the record for the number of submissions, making the jury’s task harder than ever! Congratulations once again to the winners – and don’t forget, the winning photo is now proudly featured as YCN’s new profile picture across social media. If you haven’t seen it yet, hurry to Instagram and check it out! 

Webinars remained a cornerstone of our activities, serving as a hub for sharing ideas and knowledge among ceramics enthusiasts. This year, we hosted five fantastic webinars covering diverse topics, including bioceramics, electroceramics, transparent ceramics, ultra-high-temperature ceramics, and the foundry industry with a focus on refractometry. A heartfelt thank you to all our speakers, who generously shared their expertise and insights with the community. Special thanks go to the Bioceramics Network for co-organizing the bioceramics webinar. We look forward to the coming year and the exciting new topics we plan to explore together!

This year also marked a milestone: the very first Writing Retreat Workshop organized by YCN in collaboration with the EMC (ECerS Network on Additive Manufacturing). Held in May 2024 in Tampere, Finland, the workshop provided a fantastic environment for young researchers to enhance their writing and results interpretation skills, thanks to outstanding instructors and a productive atmosphere. Of course, the social aspect was equally important! New friendships, collaborations, dancing, lake swims, board games, excellent beer, and delicious food defined this unforgettable workshop. This was just the beginning, so stay tuned for more!

We would also like to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the Newsletter this year. There was so much to share, and it wouldn’t have been possible without your collaboration. Thank you for sharing your impressions from conferences, your academic and industrial experiences, and your insights. Your stories are of immense value to our community – thank you again!

This year brought us 42 new representatives from 39 countries worldwide. This incredible team of young, enthusiastic, and dedicated individuals promises a productive and exciting 2025, enriched with fresh ideas and initiatives. Dear representatives, thank you for your hard work, dedication, time, and creativity – we are so excited about what the new year will bring.

We also said goodbye to one committee member, Nicolas, and welcomed a new one, Joanna. You can read their messages to the community in this edition of the newsletter. Here, we’d simply like to extend our deepest thanks to Nicolas for his invaluable contributions, creativity, and passion, and to warmly welcome Joanna – we can’t wait to continue working together!

A huge thank you goes out to our unwavering supporters, Véronique and Aurore, who make everything possible. We’re also immensely grateful to ECerS and JECS Trust for recognizing the importance of our network and activities and for supporting the realization of our ideas. And, of course, thank you to our sponsors.

Finally, none of this would have been possible without the contributions of every single member of our community. Thank you for being here, for following us, reading, and engaging. We grow together, and for that, we are deeply grateful.

Happy holidays!