2023 ASC 38th Technical Conference Recap – Greater Boston, MA

By Navid Zobeiry, Communications Editor, American Society for Composites, Last updated: April 18, 2025

The 38th Annual Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites was held from September 17–20, 2023, in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The conference was chaired by Prof. Marianna Maiaru (University of Massachusetts Lowell), with co-chairs Dr. Brett A. Bednarcyk (NASA Glenn Research Center), Prof. Gregory M. Odegard (Michigan Technological University), and Dr. Evan J. Pineda (NASA Glenn Research Center).

The conference was held in person and featured technical presentations spanning composite manufacturing, multiscale modeling, damage mechanics, sustainability, additive manufacturing, and structural health monitoring. Highlights included keynote and plenary talks by distinguished leaders from academia, industry, and government, focusing on integrated computational materials engineering (ICME), high-volume manufacturing, and emerging composite technologies.

Selected presentations reflected a growing emphasis on machine learning for material property prediction, process optimization, and defect detection; advancements in additive manufacturing of composites, including frontally polymerized resins and 3D printed continuous fiber structures; innovations in thermoplastic composite processing and performance; and multiscale modeling approaches bridging atomistic, mesoscale, and structural behaviors. Significant attention was also given to damage tolerance, impact behavior, sustainable composite solutions, and digital twin frameworks for process and performance prediction.

For more details, you can access the full conference program and the list of papers below:

• Conference Program (PDF)
• List of Conference Papers

Plenary and Keynote Highlights

• Dr. Steven M. Arnold (NASA Glenn Research Center) – "ICME: The Design of Fit-for-Purpose Materials"
• Dr. Jacob Fish (Columbia University) – "Data-Physics Driven Reduced Order Homogenization and High-Volume Manufacturing"
• Dr. Jeffrey T. Chambers (Boeing) – "Connecting the Length Scales of Composites"

Special Activities

The conference included technical sessions, a student paper competition, a conference banquet at the UML Inn and Conference Center in Lowell, and facility tours of UMass Lowell, 9T Labs, and Specialty Materials. The ASC General Assembly and Division Meetings were also held during the conference.

Recognizing Excellence

Awards presented included:

• CT Sun Medal: Prof. Anthony Waas
• ASC/DEStech Award in Composites: Prof. Samit Roy
• DEStech Young Composite Researcher: Prof. Oleksandr Kravchenko
• Outstanding Researcher Award: Prof. H. Daniel Wagner
• ASC Best Paper Award: Qingxuan Wei and Dianyun Zhang
• PhD Scholarships: Kazi Zahir Uddin (Rowan University) and Jack S. Turicek (NC State University)

By the Numbers

• Over 200 technical presentations
• 3 plenary lectures
• Multiple keynote lectures across sessions
• 1 conference banquet and awards ceremony
• VIP tours of local facilities

Sponsors and Support

Platinum Sponsors

• Collier Aerospace (HyperX Software)
• Wichita State University - National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR)
• Ansys

Gold Sponsor

• Specialty Materials
• 9T Labs

Media Sponsor

• DEStech Publications, Inc.

Host Sponsor

• University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell)

Organizing Committee

• Conference Chair: Prof. Marianna Maiaru (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
• Conference Co-Chairs: Dr. Brett A. Bednarcyk (NASA Glenn Research Center), Prof. Gregory M. Odegard (Michigan Technological University), Dr. Evan J. Pineda (NASA Glenn Research Center)