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The Applied Surface Science Division began operation on November 19, 1985 with Cedric Powell as the first Chair. 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 technical activities of those active in 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 this as 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 Analysis" and the biannual "Topical Conference on Quantitative Surface Science." These two meetings were sponsored by the ASSD starting with the Tenth Symposium held in Lakewood, Colorado in 1988 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 Mission statement of the Division, i.e.,

"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, and

* 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."

The Division Chairs have been:

Updated December 23rd 2010, A. V. Walker

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