President’s Address – September 2019

MAS Members,

For many us of, the beginning of September marks the end of the summer conference and vacation season. We return to work and school with a renewed sense of accomplishment and focus on goals for the coming year. It is a time for taking stock, and planning for the future. For MAS, 2019 has been an excellent year. Our membership numbers, > 500, and financial picture, > $750K in combined invested and liquid assets, are at historically high levels. Beyond just the numbers, the active engagement of society members in person and on-line visibly demonstrates the strength and vibrancy of MAS. Total attendance at the annual Microscopy and Microanalysis Meeting in Portland this summer reached record levels, with over 3,000 total participants, including 11 Distinguished Scholars and an AMAS student representative with financial support from MAS. The annual  Meal with a Mentor connected nearly 100 early career M&M attendees with the senior members of the society. The induction of the Inaugural Class of MAS Felows recognized the long-standing contributions of some of our most dedicated members to the goals of MAS.  QMA 2019, held in June at the University of Minnesota as part of our on-going Topical Conference series, provided the premier international venue for in depth discussion of quantitative microanalysis methods and applications. Six Goldstein Early Career scholars were awarded travel grants to develop their microanalysis technical skills and the Tour Speaker program supported Affiliated Regional Societies through travel subsidies for invited speakers to local meetings. MAS leadership and early career scholars participated in the European Microanalysis  and the Australian Microanalysis meetings. On-line, our newly revamped web page and our growing social media presence provided connection to members worldwide. I’d like to take this opportunity to give a sincere thank you to the Council, the committee chairs and members, the M&M Meeting Co-Chair and Symposia organizers, and Sustaining members for all the volunteer time and resources they contributed to making 2019 such a successful year for MAS.

For 2020, MAS Council is continuing to look at ways to grow our value to the MAS membership through promotion of the advancement of microanalysis methods, instrumentation, and applications. Planning for EBSD 2020 (June 24-26th, 2020, University of Michigan), latest of the bi-annual EBSD TCs is well underway. A permanent home for the MAS archives at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia is in development. The Executive Council will work on establishing a dedicated strategic initiative fund from our current assets, to make funds available for one-time and on-going expansion of MAS activities.

In closing, I invite all members to make the most of their membership in 2020 by nominating your colleagues for a Best Paper Award, sponsoring an early career member through the Goldstein Scholar Program, inviting an MAS expert to speak at your regional society meetings through the Tour Speaker program, submitting an MAS-focused topic to the M&M 2021 call for symposia, and voting in the upcoming society elections in November. Stay connected, and send us your news and events to highlight on the MAS web page and social media platforms!

Sincerely,

Rhonda Stroud

President of the Microanalysis Society, 2018-2020