Applied Surface Science Division

The Applied Surface Science Division was initiated at a meeting on November 19, 1985 when the Executive Committee authorized C. J. Powell to ask the AVS Board of Directors to approve forming the ASSD on Dec. 17, 1985. The AVS Board of Directors approved and appointed the EC for the remainder of 1985 and until the ASSD meeting in Baltimore in 1986, and requested the election of future EC members; the initial election was completed during the summer of 1986. At this meeting, the appointed Executive Committee developed a set of By-laws for the new Division.  The formation of the Division followed a suggestion by the Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC), in 1985. that a new division be established based upon the activities of the E-42 Committee on Surface Analysis of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). For eight years, the E-42 Committee had sponsored joint technical sessions at AVS symposia, and many members of the Committee were AVS members. The joint sessions at the 1984 Symposium in Reno had been larger than in previous years and the LRPC foresaw that this was a growing field. The By-laws of the new Division were approved by the Board of Directors in December 1985. 

The Division grew rapidly, with 400 members in 1988 and 600 members by the end of 1989.The Division is responsible for organization of numerous sessions at the International AVS Symposium and has organized or sponsored several conferences, including the annual “Symposium on Applied Surface Science” and the biannual “Topical Conference on Quantitative Surface Science.” These two meetings were sponsored by the ASSD starting with the eighth Symposium held in Dayton in 1986 and the second Topical Conference held in Monterey in 1987. These two conference series continue to be well attended and reflect a broad range of activities by the Division. The Division's web page provides up-to-date information and includes the Division’s mission statement: 

“The mission of the Applied Surface Science Division of the AVS is to provide a forum for research and education in the preparation, characterization, modification, and utilization of surfaces and interfaces in practical applications. The current vision for implementation of the mission statement includes promotion of science and technology relevant to:

*        understanding solid/gas, solid/solid, and solid/liquid interfaces of practical importance

*        methods for characterizing these interfaces for composition, bonding, topology and structure

*        modification of interfaces to optimize the stability, reactivity, or other properties of components and/or devices, through public forums organized by the Division, with other AVS Divisions, or with technical groups outside the AVS.” 

History and Growth

The Division Chairs have been: 

 AVS members who have served as the Executive Committee of the ASSD are listed in the table below by their Last Names 

*    Vice Chair or Vice Chairman Prior to 2000 and Chair Elect from 2000—date 

The Division has made awards for the best student poster papers at the annual Symposium since 1987. The winners of the award, which currently consists of a $500 cash award and a certificate, have been: 

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