The Materials Properties & Phase Diagrams Center

The world's leading interactive database for high-quality, evaluated phase diagrams and related constitutional data. New Search Interface, modern functionalities, continuously updated content, multiple material classes.

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...where's the snow?

Ringberg 2020

.....another busy week comes to a close

A very busy 6 days was spent in Schloss Ringberg, from 16^th to the 21^st of February, when 47 delegates attended the 34^th Annual MSIT meeting and 4^th MSIT Winter School on Materials Chemistry. This unique event mixes a long standing workshop on the evaluation of binary and ternary materials systems with a teaching event aimed at students who wish to gain knowledge and experience in materials constitution. Not only do the students benefit from first class instruction in subjects from the basics of classical thermodynamics, phase equilibrium and crystallography to DFT and phase diagram modelling, but just as importantly, being able to mix and discuss with the experts attending the workshop. The joint Workshop/Winter School is proving to be very popular, and again, the Castle was full to capacity.

: Jochen Essl (manager of the Castle) is presented with a copy of the latest volume in the Ternary Alloys series by Svitlana Iljenko (CEO of MSI). This will be held in the Castle library along with the other volumes of the series. Note, in the background a photo of the previous manager of the Castle receiving the other volumes from Günter Effenberg

But this year was very different. Firstly, despite it being winter, there was very little snow. This was very unusual for Schloss Ringberg...signs of the times. But more significantly, it was the first meeting since the death of our founding father, Günter Effenberg, and the Team came together on the Monday evening to share memories of meetings gone by. Nearly 35 years ago, Günter had a dream, to build a team that meets regularly to work on and discuss ternary phase diagrams, and today, more than 4500 phase diagram evaluations later, it has to be said that his dream came true.

But now, is the start of a new era for MSI and the team. With new leadership, and a new venture in the annual Winter School. The future looks bright....