CGIF to Receive Grant from Dr. Suri Sastri

 

The Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation (CGIF) is pleased to announce that Dr. Suri A. Sastri of the Sastri Family Foundation is providing a $50,000 grant for the purpose of attracting, inspiring, and training the next generation of ceramic and glass professionals.

Dr. Sastri is the founder, chairman and CEO of Surmet Corporation in Burlington, MA, Surmet Ceramics Corporation of Buffalo, NY, and Surmet Precision Optics of Murrieta, CA.

Dr. Sastri’s thoughtful donation is based on his desire to address the need for developing and training young, non-college educated skilled workers to perform medium to high level technician functions in manufacturing industries. Dr. Sastri is a very strong believer in assisting non-skilled works in developing the technical skills needed for success. “If a person can learn how to drive and is able to speak and write, he or she is capable of learning many other things as well, including technical work,” says Dr. Sastri.

Under his vision and leadership, Surmet initially focused and served the hi-tech semiconductor and biomedical industries for about 25 years with its top notch products such as electrostatic clamps, UHP Silicon coatings. In 2007, Surmet sold its semiconductor division to Entegris Inc and shifted its focus to advanced   polycrystalline transparent ceramics. Under Dr. Sastri’s continued guidance, commitment and leadership, Surmet has been thriving in the current business and was awarded the prestigious ACerS’s Corporate Technical Achievement Award for its successful ALON optical ceramic development and commercialization effort.

This grant represents Dr. Sastri’s remarkable commitment to the CGIF’s mission of ensuring that the industry is able to attract and train the highest quality talent available to work with engineered systems and products that utilize ceramic and glass materials.

 
Marcus Fish, Director of Development of the CGIF, explains, “Dr. Sastri’s generous donation will be used to help us attract, inspire, and train the next generation of ceramic and glass professionals, which certainly includes technicians—a vital part of the industry.”

 
“This donation is the latest example of Dr. Sastri’s commitment not only to the CGIF, but to the entire community,” adds Charlie Spahr, Executive Director of The American Ceramic Society.  “Both he and his company serve as outstanding models of the creative leadership needed to optimize workforce development and organizational excellence.”