FEMS is a networking organisation for European Materials Scientists and Engineers.
It combines 24 European Societies and over 20,000 Materials Scientists and Engineers.

FEMS Junior EUROMAT, the biennial poster conference for young materials scientists and engineers, took place at the University of Lausanne on 14-17 July.
Almost 300 youngsters from 33 different countries took part in the event. While most were from Europe, some had come from as far afield as Algeria, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Mexico and USA.    
 The programme listed 239 contributions covering fourteen different topic areas. Each presenter was allowed three minutes to provide an oral introduction to their poster in the lecture hall, illustrated by up to three slides. With as many as 70 presentations scheduled for each of the afternoon sessions, strict chairmanship was essential. Following the oral presentations there were poster sessions during which the speakers had more time to discuss their work. At the end of the conference, prizes of 100 and 50 Euros were presented for the best posters in each half-day session.
One of the prize-winners was Isabel Montealegre Meléndez of the Powder Technology Centre of the Austrian Research Centres GmbH, Seibersdorf for a poster entitled “Microstructural and Mechanical Properties of Titanium and Titanium Matrix Composites under the influence of Raw Powders and Processing Conditions”.

ARC Seibersdorf research GmbH is a branch of the Austrian Research Centers - the biggest non-university network of investigation in Austria. It employs more than 700 workers and aims to make Austria a more attractive economic location. Over one hundred materials specialists in the Division of Materials Technology and Production Engineering at Seibersdorf help industry to develop new procedures, products and system approaches of materials engineering, as well as automation solutions. 
Eng. Isabel Montealegre Meléndez is currently engaged in the development of novel Titanium Metal Matrix Composites. TiMMC’s provide excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance which are required for diverse advanced applications in the transport industries.
However, processing limitations increase the manufacturing cost of the titanium parts. Powder Metallurgy offers a promising alternative route for the production of titanium base materials.

Isabel’s poster concerned the influence of the raw material powders and the processing parameters on the microstructure and final mechanical properties of these materials.
Junior EUROMAT always features lectures by people from industry. They provide insight about careers and markets. This time, the first one was presented by Frank Heinricht, Chairman of W. C. Heraeus, the precious metals and technology group. This has headquarters in Hanau, Germany, and product revenues of Euro 3 billion pa.

Dr. Heinricht is also President of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde e.V. (DGM), one of the two FEMS Member Societies in Germany, He began with some biographical details. Born in Berlin in 1962, he studied Physics at Berlin Technical University, obtaining a Ph.D. for work on Laser-Induced Fast Phase Transitions in 1990. He joined TEMIC Semiconductors, a subsidiary of Daimler Chrysler, in 1992.  Starting as a trainee, he worked his way up to become a project manager, then Head of Wafer Fabrication Operations, Vice-President of the Integrated Circuit Division and, finally, General Manager of TEMIC Semiconductors.
In 2003, Dr. Heinricht joined Heraeus as Chief Operating Officer / Chief Technology Officer, becoming its Chief Executive Officer in June 2008. He went
on to provide more information about the company.  It was founded in 1853 and has remained a private company, with 180 shareholders in the Heraeus family. It currently employs over 11,000 in more than 100 companies worldwide. The success of Heraeus is founded on its stable economic base and the continuous pursuit of market leadership in specialty markets. It has five business sectors dealing with: precious metals for the medical industry; sensors for the steel industry; dental and medical products; quartz glass for the chemical industry; and speciality lighting sources. There is no centralised R&D group; 80 % of the company’s income is reinvested in R&D at 25 centres worldwide. Frank Heinricht has focused on developing the innovation culture at Heraeus and over the last three years innovations have accounted for 25 % of its sales.  No fewer than 97 new patents were filed last year. Recent innovations have included quartz glass for microlithography, a new flux for circuit boards, a new composite for perfect dental fillings, a sensor for ppm measurements of sulphur content in liquid steel at 1500 ºC, and a process for coating materials with thin films of platinum or chromium.  Because it can’t compete on price, the company focuses on identifying niche markets where I can be within the top five in the world.
Dr Heinricht ended his talk by listing what he considers to have been key factors in the success of his career:
• He has a good understanding of his personal goals;
• Winning the Carl Ramsauer Award for physics acted as a door opener;
• He has a high affinity for financial and key performance indicators;
• His personality enables him to listen, persuade and motivate;
• He is a good mentor, performs well, does not force things;
• He has always had Good luck!

Junior EUROMAT 2008 ended with a barbecue on campus, followed by a party on the shores of Lake Geneva.