About the Society

The mission of The Adhesion Society is to:

  1. Promote the advancement of the science and technology of adhesion and the dissemination of this knowledge.
  2. Promote education and training in the science and technology of adhesion.
  3. Provide recognition of accomplishments in the international adhesion science and technology community.

To accomplish this mission, the activities of The Adhesion Society include:

  1. An annual technical meeting where advances in adhesion science and technology are discussed.
  2. Online publication of proceedings from the annual meeting.
  3. A short course on the science and technology of adhesion offered at the annual meeting.
  4. Travel assistance for graduate students to attend the annual meeting and short course via the Peebles Award Competition.
  5. Awards recognizing accomplishments in adhesion science and technology, and recognition of the most distinguished student paper presented at the annual meeting.

History

The Adhesion Society was organized out of the recognized need for a multidisciplinary forum to discuss adhesion issues. In February 1978, the “Call for Papers” was issued announcing that the inaugural meeting of The Adhesion Society would be on March 20-21, 1978, at the University of Akron. There were eight technical presentations made to approximately 50 attendees. Those present ratified the organizational plans for the new Society and set its development in motion. The rest, as they say, is history.

The 30th Annual Meeting of the Society was a milestone in our organization. A new “History of the Adhesion Society, 1977-2007”, compiled by Guy Davis, was available. Three of our longstanding members, Jim Wightman, Guy Davis and Lou Sharpe, reminisced about past meetings, interesting events and how much the Annual Meetings have changed in both size and number, and subjects of organized sessions offered.


Left to right: James P. Wightman, Guy Davis, and Louis Sharpe