President's Message

John L. Robins
John L. Robins
President - IUVSTA
(1995-1998) Triennium




Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to our first electronic-based IUVSTA News Bulletin. This is the first time since my election at GM12 in Yokohama that I have been able to communicate with you through a President's Message as there has been a discontinuity in production of the Bulletin as we transferred from the former printed version to this new electronic Web edition.

In my inaugural address in Yokohama, which I have asked to be reproduced in this Bulletin, I predicted that rapid advances in electronic communication would have a dramatic effect on the operation of our Union, and I stressed that we must strive to take full advantage of the best aspects of this new development. Thus I must say how impressed I am by the way our Web site has been developed so comprehensively and so rapidly. I am sure you all join me in congratulating Lars Westerberg on his monumental effort in achieving this. We must also acknowledge the invaluable support of the American Vacuum Society, on whose computers we are presently based, and Mary Weaver in particular, without whom we could not have progressed so far, so fast. I am already finding our site to be tremendously useful and I trust that you too, as you become accustomed to referring to it frequently, will find the same.

Let me briefly comment on another of the issues I highlighted in my inaugural address. This relates to encouraging the formation of new National Vacuum Societies in Asia.

There are numerous countries in Asia in which technological developments are occurring rapidly. It is my view that many of the people who are involved in science, technology and industry in those countries might well benefit from the formation of National Vacuum Societies which would give them links with each other and with their counterparts world-wide. As we are all aware, a Vacuum Society serves a very different need and a much wider client base than a Physical Society, Chemical Society or other single discipline society. Our problem is that, in order to offer help, we need to be able to make contact with members of this wider client base, but they are difficult to identify before the identifying Vacuum Society is formed. Thus I would ask that, if you have appropriate contacts with relevant people in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam or The Philippines, please contact me.

Our Union is thriving. There is prolific activity on many fronts from science and technology to education, and you can read of current events in this Bulletin and of background material in our Web pages.

I heartily thank each one of you for the individual contributions you are making. It is the combination of these individual efforts that give our Union its strength and value.


John Robins
June 1997

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