SPE Thermoset Division Announces Reduced Rate for Students to Attend TopCon 2020

Media Contact:  Teri Chouinard, SPE Thermoset Div. TopCon Marketing Manager 248.701.8003, teri@intuitgroup.com

The SPE Thermoset Div. is announcing a special reduced rate of only $100 for students to attend their annual TopCon event to be held on May 12 – 13, 2020 at the Monona Terrace and Convention Center in Madison, Wisconsin. “THERMOSETS – MOLDING AMERICA FOR OVER 100 YEARS” is the theme for the event celebrating over a century of thermoset innovations and advancements.

The event will kick off on Tuesday morning May 12th with a networking breakfast followed by a keynote presentation “THERMOSETS – A HISTORICAL AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVE,” delivered by Professor Tim A. Osswald, Director of the Polymer Engineering Center (PEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  His presentation will take the audience through time, from the “heat and pressure” patent application in 1907, through the growth of an industry now known as the thermoset plastics industry.  The keynote will be followed by a full day of technical presentations on thermoset material and process advancements in a variety of areas.  There will also be a networking lunch and a cocktail reception on Tuesday. There will be a networking breakfast on Wednesday, May 13th with a movie on the first plastic made from synthetic components in 1907 when Dr. Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the world’s first thermoset compound.  

Students are also invited to display posters featuring their research and development in the thermoset field. An area dedicated to the posters near the exhibits with display boards and push pins will be provided.   Students who want to display posters at the event need to email a description of their poster to teri@intuitgroup.com .  All students interested in attending need to register online via https://spethermosets.org/topcon/.

The SPE Thermoset TopCon 2020 also offers optional social events including a golf outing at University Ridge Golf Course, a tour of the Polymer Engineering Center (PEC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a cruise of the Madison shoreline via private yacht with deluxe appetizers and beverages on Monday, May 11, the day before the conference begins. There will also be an additional tour of the PEC offered late Wednesday morning on May 13th after the conference adjourns.  Please contact teri@intuitgroup.com for more information and to register.

Conference Venue:
Inspired by Wisconsin native Frank Lloyd Wright’s design, at the peak of his creative powers in 1938, the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center is one of the country’s premier conference and convention facilities.  On the shores of Lake Monona, it is an architecturally striking structure that connects the state capital, the cityscape, and the community.  The conference exhibits, meals and cocktail reception will be in the Community Terrace with pristine views of Lake Monona offering a relaxing and enjoyable experience.  The presentations will be in the Lecture Hall offering comfortable theatre style seating, staging and professional audio-visual support. Special rates are provided for conference attendees at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace which is connected via skywalk to the conference venue. See https://www.mononaterrace.com and https://www3.hilton.com/ for more info.

Sponsors:
SPE Thermoset TopCon 2020 sponsors to date include: Mar-Bal, Inc.; WesTool Corporation; Plenco (Plastics Engineering Company); Glenwood Tool & Mold, Inc.; Chromaflo Technologies; Huber Engineered Materials; IDI Composites International; Fox Valley Molding Inc.; ICT Molding Solutions; American Colors; Cimbar; AOC Aliancys; Molding Products; Penn Compression; LyondellBasell; Lattice Composites; Materia; Composites One; Goettfert Inc.; and CompositesWorld.  

The mission of SPE is to promote scientific and engineering knowledge relating to composites worldwide and to educate industry, academia, and the public about the technological advances. SPE’s Thermoset Division is active in educating, promoting, recognizing, and communicating technical accomplishments in thermoset technology in multiple industries.  Topic areas include applications, materials, processing, equipment, tooling, design, and development.

For more information see https://spethermosets.org/topcon/. For more information on the Society of Plastics Engineers, see www.4spe.org.