2015 ASC 30th Technical Conference Recap – East Lansing, MI
By Navid Zobeiry, Communications Editor, American Society for Composites, Last updated: May 11, 2025
The 30th Annual Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites (ASC) was held from September 28–30, 2015, at Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan. The event was hosted at MSU’s Kellogg Center and chaired by Prof. Xinran Xiao, with co-chairs Prof. Alfred Loos and Prof. Dahsin Liu.
This milestone conference served as a vibrant forum for the global composites community to share emerging research, discuss technical challenges, and explore future directions. The conference proceedings featured 225 peer-reviewed papers across more than 25 technical sessions, covering advancements in composite processing, mechanics, durability, multi-scale modeling, damage prediction, and testing.
For more details, you can access the list of papers below:
Plenary and Keynote Lectures
- Dave Bank (R&D Fellow, Dow Automotive) – "Light Weight Composites Development: Turning Fast-Curing Chemistries into High-Performance Automotive Components"
- Ramesh Talreja (Tenneco Professor, Texas A&M University) – "Multi-scale Modeling of Damage and Failure in Composite Materials"
- David W. Trop (Chief Engineer, Boeing BCA Structures) – "Challenges and Opportunities in Application of Advanced Composites to Large Aircraft Structures"
A special symposium was held in honor of Dr. Larry Drzal (Distinguished Professor, MSU) to recognize his lifetime contributions to composite materials and leadership at MSU’s Institute for Advanced Composites Innovation.
Technical Program and Activities
- 225 technical papers across 25+ focused sessions
- Session topics included: damage modeling, bonded joints, nanocomposites, biocomposites, functional composites, textile composites, dynamic response, health monitoring, and more
- Student Simulation Challenge: First Prize $1000, Second Prize $500
Organizing Committee
- Chair: Prof. Xinran (Sharon) Xiao, Michigan State University
- Co-Chairs: Prof. Alfred Loos, Prof. Dahsin Liu, Michigan State University
Special thanks to the local organizing team from MSU, Dow Chemical, TARDEC, and General Motors, and to the ASC advisory board for their broad support in making this conference a success.
