For more than 16 years, SAM conferences have been an international forum for exchanging on new methodologies, new concepts and new issues that connect materials and society from different perspectives, ranging from social to engineering sciences.
As such, they have been a laboratory for thought and for knowledge experiments, which have produced about 800 papers and introduced some of the best intuitions in these areas – which were then further developed elsewhere.
Issues and questions sitting at the heart of contemporary societal challenges and of expected paradigm shifts are also being covered as a kind of application lab.
Some special disciplines like Material Flow Analysis or Life Cycle Assessment, have been an important part of the meetings, as long as they were focusing on new directions and on innovative methodologies.
More scientific approaches, driven by social science, economics or materials science have also been presented. The focus was always on pluridisciplinarity and interdisciplinarity.
The 17th edition should reflect the same level of curiosity, inquisitiveness, intellectual boldness and innovative thinking as the previous ones!
