Microanalysis Society Records

The Microanalysis Society (MAS) is an American non-profit professional association dedicated to the advancement of microanalytical principles, instrumentation and applications. Its mission is to advance and disseminate knowledge concerning the principles, instrumentation, and applications of microanalysis down to the atomic level. According to MAS, microanalysis broadly encompasses any analytical method for determination of materials properties at the micrometer and smaller size scale, or microgram or smaller mass scale. Common microanalysis methods used by MAS members include electron microprobe and microscope-based spectroscopies, x-ray fluorescence, and laser and ion mass spectrometries.

The origins of MAS date back to 1951, when French physicist and inventor Raimond Castaing published his thesis “Microanalysis by Means of Electron Probes”. Shortly after the publication of Castaing’s work, several laboratories started to develop instruments for electron x-ray analysis. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, a number of commercial electron probe instruments appeared on the market, which included those manufactured by CAMECA and Applied Research Laboratories, Incorporated. The appearance of these instruments spurred interest in the new field of microanalysis and led to the organization of several national conferences.

In October 1964, a conference on electron probe microanalysis sponsored by the Electrochemical Society was held in Washington, DC. The success of this conference led a group interested scientists, including future MAS founding member Kurt F.J. Heinrich, to meet shortly afterwards to discuss how national conferences on electron probe microanalysis could be continued. In May 1966, the First National Conference on Electron Probe Analysis was held in College Park, Maryland, where the possibility of forming a national microanalysis society was further discussed. The new organization, named the Electron Probe Analysis Society of America (EPASA), was formally established on December 10, 1966. EPASA was incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of New York in 1968.

By the mid-1970s, the scientific scope of EPASA had broadened to include new microanalysis techniques and instruments, including secondary ion scattering spectroscopy and ion scattering spectroscopy. Microanalysis was also finding applications in a growing number of fields, including metallurgy, geology, and biology. In recognition of such developments, EPASA was renamed the Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS) in 1974. During the 1980s, MAS’ scope was further broadened by computational techniques and digital image acquisition and processing techniques. In more recent years, advances in optical techniques and scanned probe microscopies were incorporated into MAS-sponsored sessions. These developments led to the organization being renamed the Microanalysis Society (MAS) in 2011.

Currently headquartered in Reston, Virginia, the membership of the Microanalysis Society includes individual microanalysis professionals who work in academia, government agencies, and the private sector. Its membership also includes Sustaining Members consisting of individuals, companies, and corporations wishing to advance the interests and objectives of the society. MAS continues to hold annual meetings and organizes topical conferences and webinars. In conjunction with the Microscopy Society of America, MAS co-publishes the periodicals Microscopy and Analysis and Microscopy Today. MAS also sponsors fellowships and several awards, including the Peter Duncomb Award and Kurt F.J. Heinrich Award.

Sources

Microanalysis Society Records, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Microanalysis Society Website - https://the-mas.org.