Successful Scientific Forum for IMPRESS Project
The Intermetallic Materials Processing in Relation to Earth and Space Solidification Project (IMPRESS) has recently had its second Scientific Forum with the participation of more than 80 scientists from 15 countries, from across the enlarged European Union and Russia. The meeting took place on Lidingö Island in Stockholm from 13-15 June 2005.
The objective of the meeting was to assess the progress of the five-year project after the first seven months. Considerable technical achievements have already been made and numerous scientific publications are under preparation by the consortium.
"The IMPRESS plenary meeting went very well," said Dr. David Jarvis, IMPRESS Project Coordinator at ESA. "The team is demonstrating again and again that some of the best research is done by teaming up at European level. The amount of collaboration and motivation is rewarding to see. We are all hoping for more good results in the coming years. It was also encouraging to see so many PhD and post-doctoral students engaged in the project, since promoting material science to young researchers is becoming increasingly important nowadays."
Dr. Jarvis also presented the project at the International Conference on Advances in Solidification Processes one week earlier. A special overview paper in Materials Science and Engineering is also foreseen before the end of the year.
The IMPRESS Project investigates the materials processing, structure and properties of new higher-performance intermetallic alloys for industrial applications, such as turbine blades and catalytic powders. The project is a joint endeavour between the European Commission and ESA within the European Union Sixth Framework Programme.
For more information about the IMPRESS Project please visit: http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/impress
