Presentation

Program Story and Contextualization

Science and Materials Engineering Postgraduate Program (PPG-CEMat), coordinated by Materials Engineering Academic Unit of the Technology and Sciences Center (CCT) of Universidade Federal de Campina Grande (UFCG) was created in 2003 with Master’s degree concept 3 and started its activities in February 2004. In the first CAPES triennial evaluation, the concept of the program was 4. In August 2007 the Doctorate Course was created with concept 4. In the triennial evaluation 2013 the program had its concept increased to 5. Since its creation, the program has graduated 240 masters 100 doctors.

Our staff is made of 15 full professor, 13 of them are CNPq research and development productivity scholarship holders.

The creation of PPG-CEMat was motivated by the demand of local professionals who wanted to develop a postgraduate program in Science and Materials Engineering in Campina Grande, and by the necessity to develop technology in the region. PPG-CEMat is in a poor region of northeastern Brazil that needed, and still needs, academic support to stimulate and boost the economic sector, by developing technology, knowledge and capable human capital. Thus, PPG-CEMat aims to fund regional professional development and to contribute with economic and social success.

In this context, the program aims at the training and the graduation of highly capable professionals, who apply the fundamental principles of Science and Materials Engineering to the studies of the interrelationships among the microstructures and the properties of materials, during their processing and use. In this framework, the professionals shall have penchant for research and development in Science and Materials Engineering.

As for teaching, research and extension activities, the program encompasses a concentration (Structure, Process and Material Properties) area and five research lines:

  • Composites e Blends;
  • Durability and Material Recycling;
  • Advanced Materials;
  • Ceramic Materials;
  • Physics Metallurgy.

In Science and Materials Engineering Postgraduate Program (PPG-CEMat), besides the researches with traditional local raw materials (clay, industrial waste, natural fibers, etc) that are intended for the development of the region, there was a significant growth in researches using advanced smart materials with shape memory, nanocomposites, nanopowder, synthetic nanofibers, membranes. Presently, biomaterials research stands out.

Furthermore, PPG-CEMAT intensifies exchange with different countries like: Portugal, Germany, Cuba, Italy, France, United States, Spain and England, aiming to strengthen techno-scientific relations with reputed researchers in several Science and Materials Engineering areas, improving the quality of the work developed in PPG-CEMat; training our professors and expanding insertion of PPG-CEMat in national and international contexts.