SCHOTT and the glass industry remember Jürgen Petzoldt

The technology group SCHOTT from Mainz, Germany, and the German Society of Glass Technology held an international memorial colloquium in honor of Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Jürgen Petzoldt (1935 - 2011), who was a member of the SCHOTT Board of Management from 1988 to 1996. This marked the occasion of the first anniversary of the death of the renowned researcher and entrepreneur. Prof. Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Board of Management of SCHOTT AG, praised Petzoldt as the inventor of the glass-ceramic ZERODUR, the standard material for the mirror substrates used in astronomical telescopes, and one of the fathers of CERAN glass-ceramic cooktop panels. “Jürgen Petzoldt is one of the outstanding personalities in our company’s history,” Ungeheuer noted. Petzoldt also made significant contributions toward building the Otto Schott Research Center in Mainz, one of the world’s leading glass research facilities, in 1989, and introducing the Otto Schott Research Award in 1991.Dr. Fabio Nicoletti, President of the International Commission on Glass, spoke about Petzoldt’s global acclaim in the field of glass. Prof. Helmut Schaeffer recalled his work on behalf of the German Society of Glass Technology (DGG) and the Research Association of the German Glass Melting Industry (HVG). Finally, Prof. Wolfgang Pannhorst gave the audience an internal look at what it meant to work with Petzoldt in research and development at SCHOTT.The second day of the colloquium that was attended by more than 100 guests was devoted to the sciences. Well-known experts from Japan, the United States, Brazil and Germany, including SCHOTT researchers, held presentations on new insights and developments in the area of glass-ceramics and related materials. The speakers also focused on the practical application of their findings, an aspect that was always a special concern of Jürgen Petzoldt. 26.03.2012, SCHOTT/schott.com