IACMI is pleased to announce three high-profile speakers for our IACMI Summer 2023 Members Meeting: Huijuan Dai, Next Generation Materials & Processes Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); John Korsgaard, Senior Director of Engineering Excellence at LM Wind Power; and John Schweitzer, Vice President of Environmental, Health, Safety and Sustainability at American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA).
The three-day event will be held at the Marriott Knoxville Downtown. In addition to Dai, Korsgaard and Schweitzer, the June 20-22 event features multiple speakers and panels, including representatives from Manufacturing USA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee, and the University of Maine. Also on the agenda are panel themes and presentations showcasing IACMI Working Groups reports, IACMI core partner capabilities, technology advancements from small/medium enterprises, and organizational importance of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. IACMI Working Groups will meet on June 20 and June 22.
Huijuan Dai: Roles that composites can play in advancing DOE’s clean energy goals
Dr. Huijuan Dai will focus on roles that composites can play in advancing DOE’s clean energy goals from an economic and national security perspective. Today’s advanced composite materials can make wind turbines bigger and more responsive, make cars lighter and stronger, and make hydrogen tanks easier to transport.
Dr. Dai works as Program Manager for the Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) Next Generation Materials and Process subprogram. Her portfolio includes smart manufacturing, cyber security for manufacturing, additive manufacturing, composites, highly conductive materials, and materials for harsh service conditions.
Before joining DOE, Huijuan spent more than 15 years working on industry research and technology development across aerospace, space, energy, and oil and gas industries. She also has more than 10 years of experience in program and team management, leading multidisciplinary teams from idea generation to new technology introduction. Previously, Huijuan was the Additive Program Manager and then Senior Engineering Manager at GE Renewable Energy. She has also served as a Lead Research Engineer at GE Global Research.
Huijuan graduated with a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Beijing Institute of Technology, China and earned her PhD in Materials Science from the University of Leicester, UK. She is also currently an MBA candidate at the University of South Carolina.
John Korsgaard: Challenges in Manufacturing Large Wind Blades
With three decades of experience in the wind industry, Korsgaard helped LM Wind Power, a GE Renewable Energy business, become the first wind company to achieve carbon neutral operations in 2018. Their sustainability strategy also uncovered significant cost savings from energy efficiency and waste reduction — $2.6 million in savings from the energy efficiency in the first year of the carbon neutral program alone – proving that sustainability ambitions and business priorities can go hand-in-hand. His presentation will focus on challenges in manufacturing large wind blades, some longer than a football field.
John Schweitzer: Assessing Climate Impact for Composites Manufacturers
As traditional materials like concrete and steel have already begun to declare their net-zero emissions goals and sustainability plans that their customers and stakeholders demand and expect, the composites manufacturing industry must be prepared to make a strategic and systematic approach to respond to these new ESG[MS4] goals. In 2022, ACMA launched its Climate Impact Project. The initiative is designed to equip manufacturers of fiber-reinforced-polymer composite and cast polymer products with tools, education, and technical resources to provide their customers with important information about the climate impacts associated with the production of their products and raw materials. Schweitzer’s presentation will focus on new ESG and climate demands and issues the composites manufacturing industry must address.