Origins
article posted 30 July 2015
The year 1916 saw the United Kingdom embroiled in war - that war which later generations
would describe at The Great War, expressing the hope that this would be "the War to end all wars".
Amid the chaos and privations which embraced universities and factories alike, one man had
the vision to create a movement deticated to the study and appreciation of glass.
Professor WES Turner established in Sheffield the first university department dedicated to the
study of glass in all its aspects. Because his vision included studies of the art, history, design
and manufacture of glass, as well as the application of science to these studies, his new
department was named "The Department of Glass Technology". In 1916 he also founded a
learned society to foster the propagation of these studies and to bring together experts and enthusiasts
from every field of glass interest - the Society of Glass Technology.
Such a landmark achievement is worthy of acknowledgement, and we are glad to celebrate it
throughout 2016.
A Year of Celebration
article posted 30 July 2015
The year of celebration will be marked by a number of events which, centered on glass
and the enthusiasms of those who study it, will reflect the ethos of the Society founded
a hundred years ago. We invite you to join us in these celebration events. Details are
available
here.
Founder of the Society of Glass Technology
Professor WES Turner
article posted 06 Feb 2016
The Society of Glass Technology owes its existence to a visionary who was both gifted and energetic.
William Ernest Stephen Turner, a Sheffield-born man whose energy and drive earned him the nickname
"Dizzy", became the first ever Professor of Glass Technology and founded not only this Learned Society
but also the world's first Department of Glass Technology in the University of Sheffield. In celebrating
its Centenary, the Society of Glass Technology pays tribute to this remarkable man. You can read more
about him and his achievements by clicking
here.
Obituary
Emeritus Professor Michael Cable
article posted 9 Nov 2016
During this Centenary Year the Society of Glass Technology lost one of its eminent
Honourary Fellows with the passing of Emeritus Professor Michael Cable, who was
the last surviving glass technologists to have known and worked with Professor Turner.
An obituary may be found
here.
SGT Centenary Conference,
& ESG 2016
article posted 30 July 2015
Our Flagship Event for the centenary year is to be the Centenary Conference,
and the Conference Organisers cordially invite all who wish to offer papers for presentation
to send in their abstracts. Full details of the Conference and the submission procedures are given
here.
For this significant event, the
Society of Glass Technology
will be joining forces with the
European Society of Glass
to mount a conference which will draw together all the threads of glass study and interest,
thus following the vision of our founder Professor WES Turner. He wanted the scientific
discipline to burst out of its academic box and enlighten the whole glass community -
artists and historians as well as industrialists and scientists.