MEETINGS 1998:

March 18:

STATIC AND TEXTILES at IoP Congress, The Brighton Centre, Brighton. Organised by Dr J. N. Chubb (John Chubb Instrumentation Fax: +44 (0)1242 251388) and Dr P. Holdstock (British Textile Technology Group Fax: +44 (0)161 434 9957). This was a follow up meeting to that organised Jan 15, 1997. The programme included papers on a variety of topics of practical relevance and a session demonstrating a number of methods of measurement.

Sept 7:

CONDUCTING POLYMERS FOR COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS Prof P. Kathirgamanathan, School of EEIE, South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA (email: kathirp@sbu.ac.uk)

Oct 4-8:

EOS/ESD SYMPOSIUM, John Ascuaga's Nugget, Reno, NV. Tutorials, Technical Sessions and Workshops. ESD Association (Fax: 00 1 315 339 6793 email: eosesd@aol.com Website: http://www.eosesd.org)

Oct 12-16:

IEEE-IAS ANNUAL MEETING.Adams Mark Hotel, St Louis. Prof S. Jayaram (Fax: 00 1 519 746 3077 email: jayaram@electrical.watsttar.uwaterloo.ca

Nov 24/25:

EL-TEX '98 "Electrostatic and Electromagnetic Fields - Hazards and Protective Properties of Textile Fabrics" Conference Centre at the University of Lodz, Kopcinskiego St 16/18, Lodz, Poland. Joanne Koprowska (email: K.GRZYWACZ@MAIL.IW.LODZ.PL)

March 28-31:

'ELECTROSTATICS 1999' University of Cambridge, Homerton College. The Proceedings will be published by the Institute of Physics in the Autumn 1999. Contact Kathryn Cantley, IoP Publishing, Dirac House, Temple Back, Bristol, BS1 6BE (email: kathryn.cantlry@ioppublishing.co.uk).

On the first day, Sunday 28 March, there was a 1 day Introductory Workshop on Electrostatics organised by John Chubb (similar to that at York 1995). The Workshop included demonstrations and talks by Paul Holdstock and Prof Tom Jones.

June 21-23:

CONDUCTIVE COATINGS AND COMPOUNDS Intl Conf, Brussels. Janet Saraty, Conference Secretary, PRA, 8 Waldegrave Road, Teddington, TW11 8LD. (Fax: +44 181 943 4705 email: conference@pra.org.uk)

June 23-25:

27th ANNUAL CONFERENCE - ELECTROSTATICS SOCIETY OF AMERICA Boston University Campus, Massacheusetts. Prof Mark Horenstein, Dept Elec and Computer Engineering. (Tel: 00 1 617 353 9052 Fax: 00 1 617 353 6440 email: nmh@bu.edu) ESA Website: http://www.electrostatics.org

June 22-24:

LIGHTNING AND STATIC ELECTRICITY Intl Conf, Centre des Congres Peirre Baudis, Toulouse, France. SAE International, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096, USA. (Fax: 724 776 1830)

Sept 8:

BIO-ELECROSTATICS Prof Martin Taylor, University College of North Wales, Bangor (Tel: +44 (0)1248 361429 email: martin@sees.bangor.ac.uk)

Electrostatic interactions play a significant role in many biological processes. New therapeutic and biosensor technologies are also reliant on electrostatic interactions as the basis for their successful operation e.g. inhalers, electrorotation assays and electrokinetic-based cell and bio-particle separation systems. The Static Electrification Group of the Institute of Physics is organising a 1-day meeting in London on 9th September 1999 to which a number of leading speakers will be invited. Topics to be covered will include any aspect of a biological process in which there is an electrostatic element for example electrophoresis and dielectrophoresis, electrorotation, the electric and dielectric properties of biological systems and the measurement of electrostatic charges in biological systems. Offers of oral contributions to this meeting should be sent to the meeting organisers, Professor D M Taylor, Institute of Molecular and Biomolecular Electronics, University of Wales, Dean Street, Bangor Gwynedd LL57 1UT (email: martin@sees.bangor.ac.uk) or Dr Hywel Morgan, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (email: hywel@elec.gla.ac.uk) by 2nd July 1999. For registration forms and further details write to Belinda Hopley, Conference Office, Institute of Physics, 76-78 Portland Place, London W1N 3DH or email belinda.hopley@iop.org.

Sept 27-30:

21st EOS/ESD SYMPOSIUM Buena Vista Palace, Orlando, Florida. (Website address: http://www.eosesd.org)

Oct 3-7:

1999 IEEE-IAS MEETING Hyatt Regency, Phoenix, Arizona. (Prof S. Jayaram (email: jayaram@ece.uwaterloo.ca Website: http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/ias/iasconf99/)

Dec 8:

STATIC AND PACKAGING Dr J. N. Chubb, John Chubb Instrumentation ( Fax: +44 (0)1242 251388 email: jchubb@jci.co.uk) and Prof P. Kathirgamanathan, School of EEIE, South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London SE1 0AA (email: kathirp@sbu.ac.uk)

MEEETING CANCELLED

Packaging materials are usually p lastics. This applies whether the packaging is for a semiconductor device, a carton of margarine or the retail wrapping of a washing machine. Plastics usu ally easily become charged with static electricity and tend to retain this charge for long periods. Retained static charge attracts atmospheric dust and dirt, which spoils the appearance of items at their point of sale and makes hands dirt in handling. It attracts thin materials, which can make handling difficult. It can cause damage to sensitive semiconductor devices and fail to protect them from other static charges and nearby transient electric fields.

This meeting will be relevant to people involved with the design, manufacture and handling of packaging materials in the food product, pharmaceutical and retail selling industries, to peole involved with the converting and printing of packaging and to people handling the packaging for microelectronic devices and assemblies.

The meeting of the Static Electrification Group of the Institute of Physics will be held 8 December 1999 at the Institute of Physics in London. It will examine the range of ways static causes problems with packaging, how materials for packaging may be modified or treated to reduce problems and how the relevant characteristics of materials may be measured. It is hoped to include some demonstrations on methods of measurement to assess the eletcrostatic performance of packaging materials.

John Chubb Instrumentation,
Unit 30, Lansdown Industrial Estate, Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, GL51 8PL, UK
Tel:+44 (0)1242 573347 Fax: +44 (0)1242 251388
email: jchubb@jci.co.uk

© John Chubb Instrumentation.