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Technology & Innovation
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BEYOND SURFACES
Fall
16
16
The Oerlikon Metco Young Professionals Award (OMYPA)
has been given annually to bright individuals who
show promise in contributing to innovations in surface
engineering. Presented since 2011 at the International
Thermal Spray Conference (ITSC), it is granted to
exceptional university students who demonstrate signifi-
cant accomplishments in the field. “It is very important to
attract young talent from universities and motivate them
to participate in our industry,” said Dr Richard Schmid,
CTO at Oerlikon Metco. “They represent our future and
bring fresh ideas and methodologies to our field. Their
contributions enable innovative adaptations which are
vital in today‘s environment of fast technological changes
and high market demands.”
Besides nurturing new talents, the OMYPA creates
an ideal interface between the academic community
and industry. This collaboration provides an opportunity
for young talent from all regions to present their surface
technology and materials research work to an interna-
tional audience of academia and industry experts.
Probably the most challenging of
all presentations
Emine Bakan received the honors in May 2013 at ITSC in
Busan, Republic of Korea, for her outstanding presenta-
tion titled ‘Overcoming the Implementation Challenges
of Gadolinium Zirconate in Plasma Sprayed Thermal
Barrier Coatings’. At the time, she was a PhD student
at the Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-1)
at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. Ms Bakan
worked under the direction of Professor Dr Robert Vaßen
at IEK-1 in the Materials for Advanced Power Plants
division, one of the groups that conducts research on
various disciplines of materials synthesis and process-
ing. She thrived in the coatings material group which
develops materials for use as thermal barrier coatings
in gas turbines. In other words, focusing on producing
efficient energy production methods and materials for
commercial use.
“Participating in the Young Professionals competition
at ITSC 2013 was definitely a nice and enjoyable experi-
ence for me,” says Emine Bakan about her participation
in the OMYPA. “The five-minute scientific presentation
is probably the most challenging of all presentations to
accomplish. Thanks to this competition, I learned a lot
about what it takes to clearly convey complex ideas to an
audience. Furthermore, it was a unique opportunity not
only to meet with the global Thermal Spray community,
but also to pick experts‘ brains regarding my research.
I sincerely encourage young Thermal Spray researchers
to take this occasion to expand their knowledge and lev-
erage their networks.”
After finishing her PhD, Emine Bakan resumed her
studies in the group with Professor Dr Robert Vaßen at
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, as a postdoctoral
fellow. In collaboration with Oerlikon Metco, they work
on the development of environmental barrier coatings.
Attract
bright talent
into the industry
To the Oerlikon Surface Solutions Segment, social responsibility also
means commitment to the next generation. By sponsoring the Young
Professionals Award, Oerlikon Metco supports young individuals at
universities to inspire future innovative scientists worldwide to
prosper in surface technology endeavors. BEYOND SURFACES
met Emine Bakan, who won the award in 2013, and this year’s
award recipient Amanda Wang, and asked them about the impact
the OMYPA has had in their professional lives.
Oerlikon Metco Young Professionals Award (OMYPA)
Left: Emine Bakan, OMYPA
winner in 2013, at Forschungs-
zentrum Jülich, Germany.
Right: Amanda Wang, presenting her
thesis at ITSC 2016 in Shanghai, China.