34 Students and 12 teachers gathered recently for the second China Winter School.
The date (March 31 – April 4, 2016) was chosen so that the school immediately preceeded the ICG Congress in Shanghai, with the intention of attracting more overseas delegates. In the event most were still from China, but with India, Japan and Sudan also represented. The subject matter ranged from glass fundamentals through structural analysis to advanced applications, and from glass strength to optical properties such as coatings and quantum dot structures. The ICG team gave about half the lectures and the remainder were presented by academics from Wuhan itself or other Chinese Universities working on glass. At the end of each lecture the students were encouraged to ask questions and this was one of the successful aspects of the course. Indeed based on student perceptions of the event, the next course will shift the emphasis slightly from formal teaching to both unstructured and structured discussion sessions, the latter having a more tutorial emphasis. On the first afternoon, students gave short presentations of their research. This was planned to help them find their voices but also to inform those present of the wide range of glass activities in China. Presentations spanned subjects as diverse as foamed products for buildings to nanocrystalline fibre laser amplifiers. Almost immediately afterwards project subjects and groupings were announced, based on individual interests. The target date for presenting their conclusions was the last afternoon of the school. On the final afternoon, eight groups had 10 minutes to present their conclusions and were then faced by a further 10 minute grilling by speakers and students alike. Subjects ranged widely from the analysis of archaeological samples through the carbon footprint of double glazed windows, and from the motion of oxygen’s linked to sodium ion diffusion to 3D printing. Finally the winning group which examined the value of double-glazing in Wuhan was the one judged to have produced the best structured and most persuasive argument. The members of this group were: Zhou Wang, Kai Chen, Jun Zhang, Wenke Li and Jinwei Li.  Speakers included: Prof Yiwang Bao (China Building Materials Academy), Prof Reinhard Conradt (Aachen University), Prof Bernard Hehlen (Montpellier University), Prof Lili Hu (SIOM, CAS, China), Prof John Parker (Sheffield University), Prof Jianrong Qui (South China University of Technology), Prof Jinjun Ren (SIOM, CAS, China), Prof Jian Ruan (Wuhan University of Technology, Dr Akira Takada (Asahi Glass Company), Prof Rene Vacher (Montpellier University), Prof Yuansheng Wang (FJIRSM, CAS, China), Prof Song Ye (Tongji University), Prof Xiujian Zhao (Wuhan University of Technology). The next ICG Winter School is currently planned for 13-17th November 2017. For more information check the the ICG web site (icglass.org) for updates.