What is SAMPE?
Definition
and Objective
Strategic
Plan
History
Membership
Description
Symposia
and Conferences
Exhibition
SAMPE
International Headquarters
DEFINITION AND OBJECTIVE
Material
and Process Engineering is the
technology by which materials are
developed or selected and
manufacturing processes chosen which
will convert those materials into
products which meet the design,
performance, producibility, quality,
and cost effectivity criteria
required.
The Society for the Advancement of
Material and Process Engineering
(SAMPE®), an
international professional member
society, provides information on new
materials and processing technology
either via technical forums, journal
publications, or books in which
professionals in this field can
exchange ideas and air their views.
As the only technical society
encompassing all fields of endeavor
in materials and processes, SAMPE
provides a unique and valuable forum
for scientists, engineers, and
academicians.
SAMPE STRATEGIC PLAN
The
SAMPE Executive Cabinet has
established the vision and direction
for the Society for the next six
years, in the form of four key
goals. These goals outline what is
needed for the sustained success of
SAMPE.
GOAL #1: SAMPE will be
recognized globally as the premier
source of technical information by
the Materials & Processes
(M&P) community. Many SAMPE
members are Material or Process
Engineers, who have jobs that change
very rapidly. One day they may need
to determine with what structural
material to make a component, the
next day they may be tasked to find
a replacement for Freon in their
cleaning processes. SAMPE was
started in 1944 to be the
technical society catering to the
needs of the M&P community. For
us to be successful in that charter,
we need to offer technical topics
that are timely and at the correct
level of technical detail required.
These individuals need to be aware
of late breaking developments, and
evolving regulations. Their level of
understanding is to be a jack of
trades, but not master of one. We
must provide diversified technical
programs, and articles in the
Journal with the emphasis on
comprehensive overviews, listing the
pros and cons of materials and
processes. We must also continue to
promote careers and academic
excellence in Materials and Process
Engineering with our student
chapters and scholarship programs..
We will not try to be everything. We
will identify those niches M&P
engineers need that are not being
addressed elsewhere, and do that
ourselves. For those technical areas
M&P engineers need to know
about, but other societies are
already addressing, we can provide
access to our membership via
co-location of meetings, or even
advertising and recommending the
other conferences. This requires us
to stay in tune with our membership,
and be flexible in our technical
direction to provide the topics of
key interest to them.
GOAL #2: SAMPE will be
recognized as the premier source of
information in breadth and depth for
composites technology. With respect
to composites, we should be the
prime resource including basic
understanding through latest
technical breakthroughs and
applications. We will provide basic
education for technology transfer,
lead the development of college
curricula and projects, plus provide
information on current technology
developments. The SAMPE Journal of
Advanced Materials and our technical
programs will be tailored to cover
all aspects of composites, including
fundamental research.
GOAL #3: SAMPE will be
recognized as the primary forum for
networking and interaction between
those with M&P problems and
those that provide M&P
solutions. This will be accomplished
through a strong, global
infrastructure of local chapters,
plus global and national meetings
and exhibitions. We will provide
innovative opportunities for those
with M&P problems to voice their
needs, and those with solutions to
get their word out. We are going to
encourage more presentations from
M&P engineers with problems to
voice their needs, and more
opportunities for companies with new
solutions to get the word out.
GOAL #4: SAMPE will be valued
by our members, exhibitors, and the
M&P community as a stable
partner, focused on their needs and
satisfaction. Our dealings will be
prompt and professional, with the
goal of 100% customer satisfaction,
whether the customer is a member, a
corporation, a government agency, or
an industry. We will be able to
quickly respond to new technology
thrusts, and will be proactive in
continuous improvement. Our global
operations will be seamless, and we
will remain financially secure and
stable.
HISTORY
SAMPE
Beginnings
The Society of Aircraft Material and
Process Engineers was formed in 1944
by nine Southern California
aerospace professionals concerned
with the scarcity of materials and
the resulting need to economize.
They believed that a network of
material and process engineers would
provide the best means for
information exchange and prevent
duplication of effort among
companies working toward a common
goal. They arranged a meeting with
the most prominent Southern
California material and process
engineers to discuss the formation
of such a society.
The group met monthly to discuss
mutual technical problems. Plastics
became a special emphasis, as these
were new materials in need of
significant technical documentation.
Between 1944 and 1959, 15 SAMPE
chapters were formed in various
parts of the USA.
SAMPE in the Space Age
With the dawning of the Space Age in
the late 1950's, members agreed that
the best way to obtain an
interchange of new material and
process information was to form a
nationwide organization.
Additionally, to reflect its efforts
in the Space Age, the national SAMPE
organization was formed and renamed
the Society of Aerospace Material
and Process Engineers.
In its first year as a national
organization, the steering committee
laid the groundwork for a national
symposium, and established local
chapter scholarship programs and
activities committees. They then
developed SAMPE's bylaws, charter,
and articles of incorporation which
were refined throughout the 1960's.
SAMPE's organization efforts in the
previous decade resulted in a
landmark accomplishment for the
society: its first national
symposium held in October 1961. This
symposium encompassed all aspects of
a new reinforced plastics process
called "filament winding."
This process continues to be used
and improved upon today.
SAMPE became recognized as the
reinforced plastics society as a
result of the symposium. As boron
and graphite fibers were invented
and advanced, and a subset of
reinforced plastics came to be known
as "composites," SAMPE
continued to address the progress
being made. In the late 1960's,
SAMPE held its first Technical
Conference. The Conference and
Symposia, which take place every
Fall and Spring, respectively, have
grown to a total yearly attendance
of as much as 10,000 professionals.
SAMPE's ever-increasing value to the
technical community became evident
in the 1960's with the growth of the
society's publications. The SAMPE
Newsletter, established in 1961,
grew from seven to 24 pages within
two years due to member-generated
technical papers. As the newsletter
continued to grow, it was
transformed into the SAMPE Journal,
a bimonthly publication containing
technical papers, editorial
features, and international and
local SAMPE information. Because the
fields of material and process
engineering were changing rapidly in
1969, the society introduced a
purely technical publication, the
SAMPE Quarterly (renamed the Journal
of Advanced Materials in October
1993). At that time, SAMPE also
initiated the sale of its Symposium
and Technical Conferences
proceedings to various institutions
such as libraries and universities.
SAMPE Broadens its Horizon
In 1973, the organization's name was
changed to The Society for the
Advancement of Material and Process
Engineering, reflecting membership
growth beyond the aerospace
industry.
The 1980's brought about
unprecedented growth. The first
non-USA chapter was founded in
Europe. Attendance at the
International SAMPE Technical
Conference doubled. The
International SAMPE Symposium
attendance nearly tripled. The
decade closed with membership
reaching the 12,000 mark.
SAMPE Today
As of March 1995, there were 36
professional member chapters (10 of
which are located outside the US)
and 47 student chapter affiliates.
At present, there are two overseas
student chapters.
SAMPE is governed by an Executive
Cabinet of volunteers elected from
its members. A Board of Directors
representing the professional
chapters oversees the Cabinet. Day
to day operations of the Society are
run by a paid professional staff
located at the International
Business Office in Covina,
California.
The professional chapters are
governed similarly by volunteers
elected by the local membership. Two
foreign chapters, Europe and Japan,
are so large that an International
Vice President from the chapter
presides over the chapter and is a
part of the Executive Cabinet. The
professional chapters sponsor the
student chapters, guiding these
young people in their professional
development and supplying
information on this area of
technology.
SAMPE has recognized, with the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, the
decline in the military budget,
etc., that material and process
engineering must be broadened from
the somewhat narrow base of
defense/aerospace to include all
phases of commercial/industrial
activities where products containing
these materials could be used. In
order to promote market
diversification, SAMPE is increasing
dissemination of information about
the actual and potential use of this
technology in industries not
normally considered as fertile
fields for this technology. These
include land transportation,
construction, marine, biomedical and
medical, sports and recreation, and
industrial applications. It is
SAMPE's opinion that the well being
and career development of its
members as well as the industry by
which they are employed requires
that technology transfer be
successful.
MEMBERSHIP DESCRIPTION
|
By Education |
|
By Age |
|||
|
Associate |
3% |
|
Age |
Professional/ Associate |
Student |
|
Bachelor |
45% |
|
18-24 |
2% |
32% |
|
Master |
28% |
|
25-34 |
16% |
31% |
|
Doctorate |
24% |
|
35-44 |
31% |
5% |
|
|
|
|
34-54 |
24% |
1% |
|
|
|
|
55-64 |
17% |
1% |
|
|
|
|
65+ |
10% |
0% |
|
Business Areas |
Job Function |
|
|
SYMPOSIA AND CONFERENCES
SAMPE's
impact on the technical community is
largely due to its international and
regional symposia and conferences.
As SAMPE's interests and membership
base broadened, so has the scope of
its meetings. Today, topics include
composites, metals, ceramics,
fabrication processes, polymers,
reinforcements, adhesives, testing
and analysis, and environmental
issues. A strong emphasis on the
market aspects of this technology
has been introduced in recent years
so that the information provided is
not only technically pertinent but
also provides an insight into where
and how it might be used in
increasing the breadth of the
technology.
The International Symposium, which
is part of the Symposium and
Exhibition, is an annual event held
in the Spring in the USA. A European
Symposium is also held annually. A
Japan Symposium occurs biannually
and takes place in late November or
early December. Both the European
and Japanese Symposia are held
concurrently with an Exhibition. The
International SAMPE Technical
Conference is an annual event held
in the Fall. In addition, other
special conferences may be scheduled
(such as an Automotive Conference in
1999), and chapters frequently have
Regional Seminars or other special
events.
EXHIBITION
The major Exhibition is held with the Symposium in the Spring and features booths with over 200 companies. The fall Technical Conference may have either booths or tabletop exhibits, depending on location.
Copyright
© 1999, Society for the Advancement
of Material and Process Engineering.
All rights reserved.
