Celebrating the past, present and future of glass for a sustainable, equitable and better tomorrow!
A 2-day opening event will take place at the Palace of Nations in Geneva and will also be streamed live online. Featuring 30 world-class speakers, talks will highlight the latest thinking on how Glass can aid the development of more just and sustainable societies alongside the most recent scientific and technical breakthroughs. A recording will be available soon after.
Welcome and presentations
Presentations and Press Conference
Over 2 days, these international speakers will impart their unrivalled knowledge of glass. Experts in their fields, they will delve into the past, current and future developments in glass, and point towards a better future for humankind.
Research Professor CSIC, President of ICG and Chair of the IYOG2022
Dr. Alicia Durán obtained a degree in Physics from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina and a PhD in Physical Sciences from the UAM, developing her professional career at the Institute of Ceramics and Glass of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC). Research Professor of CSIC and the responsible of the GlaSS group (http://glass.icv.csic.es), with more than 250 publications in WOK (H index of 46), she is currently President of the International Commission on Glass (ICG). She received the Phoenix Award from the international glass industry, being named Glass Person of the Year 2019. Now she is leading the International Year of Glass 2022, approved by the GA of United Nations on May 18th 2021.
Professor of Archaeological Materials and Technologies, University College London
Ian Freestone trained as a geochemist before joining the British Museum, where he conducted research on historical objects of ceramic and glass. He is currently Professor of Archaeological Materials and Technology at University College, London where his research focuses on the glass industry from the Bronze Age to the medieval period.
Director of the Glasmuseum Hentrich, Museum Kunstpalast
Dedo von Kerssenbrock-Krosigk is head of the Glasmuseum Hentrich at the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, Germany. After receiving his doctorate in Berlin, he worked at the Bröhan-Museum in Berlin. From 2004 until 2008, he was curator of European glass at The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York. He curated the shows “Glass of the Alchemists” in Corning and “Art and Alchemy – the Mystery of Transformation” in Düsseldorf. Here, Dedo is also in charge of the Jutta Cuny-Franz Memorial Award that is granted to artists every two years (www.kunstpalast.de/cuny).
Founder, James Carpenter Design Associates
Carpenter has been recognized with numerous national and international awards, including an Academy Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship and the Smithsonian National Environment Design Award. He holds a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and was a Loeb Fellow of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and a Mellon Teaching Fellow at the University of Chicago.
Scientific Director, Saint Gobain Research
Emmanuelle Gouillart is the scientific director of Saint-Gobain Research Paris. After a PhD in physics from Sorbonne Université and Imperial College, she joined Saint-Gobain’s R&D to work at the interface between industrial R&D and academic research. Her research team focuses on the understanding of mass transport in molten glass, with applications to the reduction of energy consumption in glass furnaces or the development of innovative coatings.
Professor of Optics, Materials Science and Engineering at CREOL/College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central FL
Dr. Kathleen Richardson is Pegasus Professor of Optics and Materials Science and Engineering and Florida Photonics Center of Excellence (FPCE) Professor at CREOL/College of Optics and Photonics at the University of Central FL, where she runs the Glass Processing and Characterization Laboratory (GPCL). She and her research team design, synthesize and characterize novel glass and glass ceramic materials, examining how structure/property relationships influence optical function and performance in bulk, planar and fiber materials. Her group is developing novel materials for broadband infrared optical systems, gradient refractive index optics, precision molded optics, optical phase change materials, evaluation of complex multi-material interactions in next-generation integrated opto-electronic chips and in optical nanocomposites for advanced chem-bio and detection applications.
International speakers and glass industry experts discuss some pertinent topics at the opening ceremony of the International Year of Glass 2022
Participants attending in person will need to register at Indico.UN so that they can receive a badge granting admission to the site using this link https://indico.un.org/event/37050/
Concerning Covid-related travel restrictions, Switzerland maintains up-to-date instructions for entry at https://travelcheck.admin.ch/home
Form required before taking the flight Switzerland: Click here
This historic ceremony and gathering would not be possible without the support of our partners. A heartfelt thank you from the IYOG2022 community.
Due to COVID-related capacity restrictions, there are limited seats for the physical event. However, no matter where you are across the globe, you can stream the opening ceremony live online, starting 10th February 2021 at 8:30 AM (GMT+1) using the link below.
