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independent Vacuum Society of Australia (VSA)
was formed. This society effectively took over
from and replaced the VPG, with the harmonious
agreement of the Australian Institute of Physics.
The VSA was henceforth recognised as
the Australian member of the IUVSTA.
The objectives of the VSA are essentially:
• to allow people involved or interested in the
production of vacuum, or in vacuum science
and techniques, or in applications of vacuum,
to come together in a united body;
• to engage in and/or encourage the spread
and advancement of knowledge on vacuum
science and technology, and of the areas of
vacuum applications, by means of: (a) teaching
in educational institutions and short courses,
(b) seminars, lectures, workshops, symposia
and conferences, (c) equipment exhibitions,
(d) literature circulation to society members;
• to represent Australia within the IUVSTA;
• to collaborate with other societies if in the
interests of the VSA and to encourage the
development of vacuum science, technique
and application. These objectives are the basis
of the four pillars on which the VSA conducts
itself today.
Soon after the formation of the VSA, the
membership rose to 270 individual members and
about 10 corporate (company) members. Whilst
the corporate membership has been maintained,
the number of individual members had stabilised
at about 135 by the end of 2001. Currently, the
VSA counts around 170 members and 17 active
corporate sponsors.
The VSA has successfully hosted an IUVSTA
Scientific Workshop and an Executive Council
meeting in 1997 and will be hosting ECM-128 in
Sydney in August, 2018 along with VASSCAA-9
and the IUVSTA Highlight Seminar, the first time
this conference and the seminar has been held
in Australia.
Australia has been continuously represented on
the Executive Council since 1971 by J. Ward,
M.T. Elford, J.L.Robins,A.Simpson,D.L. Swingler,
A Morton, D.J. O’Connor, R. Boswell, B King, and
very recently by Stampfl who is the current
President of the VSA. In addition, J L Robins has
served the IUVSTA as Recording Secretary (1980-
1983) and as President (1995-1998).
The period between 2001 to 2015 saw a decline in
membership of the VSA due to an aging executive
and changing of the guard within research groups
in Australia. During the late 1990’s and 2000’s
the research scene changed dramatically with
the reorganisation of several Australian research
laboratories, the retirement of many established
groups, and the influx of expatriates and foreign
scientists lured by Australian Government
funding schemes to Australia. The VSA carried
its educational programme throughout this period
by providing a two day short course in most
capital cities on an regular one to two year basis.
The fees for such courses again kept the VSA
solvent and ticking over financially as had been
the case throughout the 1980’s. Course practicals
changed from hands-on using actual equipment
to interactive computer based exercises written
by Kevin Lawlor in shockwave, a multimedia
program, in order to keep overhead expenses
down. These computer exercises have meet with
universal praise to this day and show the way
towards future possible development in this area
that uses multimedia capabilities of the IoT to
make a virtual laboratory come to life.
The VSA also held during the 2000’s the VSA
and Nuclear Techniques and Analysis (NTA)
joint annual conference at either the Australian
Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering,
AINSE, which adjoins the Australian Nuclear
Science and Technology Organisation located
in the south of Sydney and sometimes in other
capital cities.
From 2016 the VSA has seen an influx of new
members so that membership numbers are
growing again to numbers of the past. Under
the new executive of the VSA activities are
focussed in four overlapping areas: education,
research, development, and industry. To this end
the VSA continues to deliver high standard short
courses yearly throughout all major capital cities
in Australia and is actively participating in IUVSTA
as well as the AIP and this year has become a
member institution of AINSE. This body represents
all 45 Australian and New Zealand Universities
providing educational support in the area of NTA.
The VSA’s scientific divisions have much overlap
with NTA and look forward to shared educational
programmes with AINSE into the near future. The
VSA is holding its very first IUVSTA conference,
the Vacuum and Surface Science Conference
of Asia and Australia (VASSCAA-9) which will be
held at the SMC conference centre in downtown
Sydney between 13-16 August, 2018. The idea is
to bring research and industry together especially
within the Pacific and Indian Ocean rim countries.
At the same time the VSA will be running a public
forum with the Powerhouse museum in Sydney
on the 12thof August, 2018 on what vacuum really
is and all the amazing science and technologies
that have been produced through use of vacuum.
SUMMARY