SGT celebrates a century of study in 2016

The UK’s Society of Glass Technology this year celebrates a century of study and appreciation of an ancient material with a great future.   

It is inviting people to join in the celebrations and welcomes glass people to join them at any of its events it plans to hold.

Origins

The year 1916 saw the UK embroiled in The Great War, expressing the hope that this would be 'the War to end all wars'. Amid the chaos and privations which embraced universities and factories alike, one man had the vision to create a movement dedicated to the study and appreciation of glass.

Professor Wes Turner established in Sheffield the first university department dedicated to the study of glass in all its aspects. Because his vision included studies of the art, history, design and manufacture of glass, as well as the application of science to these studies, his new department was named The Department of Glass Technology. In 1916 he also founded a learned society to foster the propagation of these studies and to bring together experts and enthusiasts from every field of glass interest - the Society of Glass Technology.

The Centenary Conference

The SGT’s flagship event for the year is to be the Centenary Conference. The conference organisers invite all who wish to offer papers for presentation to send in their abstracts. Full details of the Conference and the submission procedures are given here.

The Society of Glass Technology will be joining forces with the European Society of Glass for this event to mount a conference that will draw together all the threads of glass study and interest, thus following the vision of Professor Turner.

He wanted the scientific discipline to burst out of its academic box and enlighten the whole glass community - artists and historians as well as industrialists and scientists.

The year of celebration will be marked by a number of events centered on glass and the enthusiasms of those who study it. It will reflect the ethos of the Society founded 100 years ago. Details are available here.