Dr Henry G “Harry” McAdie
It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that Dr Harry McAdie, former ICTAC President,
passed away on May 11th 2020, just two hours before his 90th birthday.
Harry graduated with a BSc from McGill University in Montreal in 1951 and obtained a MSc and a
PhD from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario. He then joined the Ontario Research Foundation,
with a particular involvement in environmental research and monitoring. He worked at the Foundation
for some 28 years until 1984, when he left to start his own consultancy company.
Harry played a major part in the development of ICTAC, particularly in his role as Chairman of the
Standardisation Committee, which was established in 1965. Helped by his exceptional enthusiasm
and drive, this became an extremely active committee, meeting for 2-3 days each year, usually in
the UK, apart from ICTAC Congress years when it was held in the host country. As a result, three
sets of DTA Certified Reference Materials were developed. These were marketed by the National
Bureau of Standards (now NIST) and addressed an urgent need in a fast-developing field.
In 1974, Harry stepped down from the Chairmanship of the Standardisation Committee to become
ICTAC Vice-President, becoming President in 1977. Following his presidency, he became joint
organiser of the 7th ICTAC which was held at his old alma mater Queen’s University in 1982. His
love of music was reflected in his organisation of a special concert at the Congress by the National
Youth Orchestra of Canada which was one of the highlights of a very successful meeting. Another
highlight for Council was the pre-Congress barbecue that Harry hosted at their holiday cottage on
Lake Ontario in the beautiful Thousand Islands.
In 1985 he took over as Membership Secretary, a role which he fulfilled with considerable commitment until 2004. This completed a remarkable 40 years of continuous service to ICTAC and his outstanding contribution was recognised by his election as a Lifetime Honorary Member of ICTAC in 2000.
Harry also played a significant role in the development of the North American Thermal Analysis Society leading to his election as a NATAS Fellow in 1983 and his receipt of the NATAS Outstanding Service Award in 1986. He published some 80 papers, 3 books and 1 patent and was awarded the Kurnakov Medal of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1985. In addition to his thermal analysis activities, he chaired a number of professional and environmental committees including the Board of Directors of the Chemical Institute of Canada.
His enthusiasm, energy and optimistic outlook on life made him a great companion and he very much enjoyed the social aspects of thermal analysis meetings. Personally, I have very pleasant memories of the short “cultural tours” of the South-East that we used to make on his visits to the UK. These always had a very carefully adjusted ratio of pubs to cathedrals.
Harry will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues worldwide. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Nora Jean and family
.
Edward Charsley
University of Huddersfield, UK
Professor Michael Ewart Brown
It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that Professor Michael Brown,
the former ICTAC Secretary and founder member of the South African Thermal
Analysis Group, passed away on Friday 31st May 2019, after a long and
courageous battle with cancer.
Mike was an exceptional ICTAC Secretary over a period of some ten years and
he fulfilled many other roles within ICTAC including Publications Chairman,
Affiliate Councillor, Leader of the ICTAC Kinetics Project, and was a valued
member of the Nominations Committee, Travel Fund Committee and Awards
Committee. In all these positions he gave exemplary and unstinting service,
while always displaying tact and good humour, even under difficult circumstances.
His outstanding contribution to ICTAC was recognised by the ICTAC Distinguished
Service Award in 2008 and by the ICTAC Honorary Lifetime Membership in 2018.
In his retirement, he was able to devote more time to his hobby of woodworking
and a number of ICTAC Presidents (including those signing this obituary) were
delighted to receive a gavel and sounding board, finely crafted from African
hardwood, on taking office. These now form a priceless reminder of their
good friend.
He spent the majority of his working life at Rhodes University, becoming Professor
of Physical Chemistry and Dean of Science in 1986. He was a research scientist
of exceptional ability, specialising in the decomposition of inorganic solids and the
kinetics of solid-state reactions, and published over 130 papers and 5 books.
His contribution to the field of solid-state kinetics and his fruitful collaboration with Professor Andrew Galwey of Queens University Belfast was recognised by a special edition of Thermochimica Acta in 2002 and their book “Thermal Decomposition of Ionic Solids” has become a standard work in the field. His dedicated service to the University was recognised by Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Senior Research Award in 1998 and after his retirement he was made a Distinguished Fellow of Rhodes University.
Mike was also an outstanding communicator and the two editions of his book “Introduction to Thermal Analysis - Techniques and Applications” have provided countless thermal analysts with their first introduction to the field.
His work has been recognised by a number of awards including the Mettler Outstanding Achievement Award of the North American Thermal Analysis Society in 1996. The exactness, common sense and humour of the excellent Award lecture on kinetics that he delivered in Philadelphia is still in the memory of many participants at this ICTAC Congress. He also received the South African Chemical Institute's Gold Medal in 2000 and the NATAS Fellowship in 2003.
In spite of his many achievements, Mike was remarkably modest and his kindness and quiet sense of humour made him the best of company. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues worldwide. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Cindy and her family.
Edward Charsley
Jean Rouquerol
Jean RouquerolObituary Note: Prof. Andrzej Malecki
Prof Andrzej Malecki was a most active, open-minded and cheerful colleague.
When he organized ESTAC 9 in Krakow (28-31 August 2006), he was Head of
the Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Materials Science and
Ceramics, AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow. He was much
helped by his wife Barbara Malecka, who worked in the same Department
and had, like him, excellent social and scientific abilities. This ESTAC
Symposium was a success. Their scientific field of interest was the reactivity
of solids, with a special focus on the thermal decomposition of inorganic
salts. Andrzej, who had been elected as ICTAC Vice-President in 2006
and who became ICTAC President in 2012, unfortunately had to face
severe heart problems which did not allow him to keep the ICTAC Presidency
beyond 2014. In addition, his wife was hit by a cancer which took her away in
2013. When she died in 2013 she was chairing the ICTAC Committee on the
Reactivity of Solids and was the guest-editor of a special issue of the JTAC.
We have the sad feeling that his illness has hit him in mid-flight and forced him to stop his activities at the time when our ICTAC community would have
drawn the best from his experience and human abilities. He was only 71 when he passed away on January 20, 2019. Many of us will miss him and we all share the sorrow of our Polish colleagues.
Regards,
Wim de KlerkICTAC-President
ICTAC-PresidentObituary Note: Prof. José Manuel Criado Luque
José Manuel Criado Luque, ad honorem research professor at the Institute of Materials Science
of Seville, died of cancer on February 27, at the age of 73. In his 50-year scientific career he
was always a very active member of the thermal analysis community.
Prof. Criado studied chemistry in his hometown (Seville) and got his PhD from the same university
under the supervision of professors Gonzalez-García and Trillo. Afterwards he had several
positions at the university as assistant and associate professor before joining the National
Research Council of Spain, where he eventually became full professor in 1986. He was also a
founder member of the Materials Science Institute of Seville a join center from the University of
Seville and the National Research Council of Spain. He oversaw the institute’s transformation
from a very small facility in just a few shared rooms into an important materials center in Spain.
Prof. Criado always has an international vision of science. Thus, he was visiting scientist and
professor in a number of international institutions such as Stanford University (USA), CNRS
Thermodynamics and Microcalorimetry Center in Marseille (France), University of Salford (UK),
Macaulay Research Institute (UK), Institute for General and Analytical Chemistry of the Technical
University (Hungary), Institute of Inorganic Chemistry (Czech Republic), University of Chile (Chile).
Moreover, he was always willing to accept international students and visitors to his lab that, at the end become part of his family. Thus, a significant number of international students, postdocs and professors from Czech Republic, Japan, Chile, Russia, Rumania, Poland, France, Tunisia, etc. spent time working with him. Therefore, there was always an international atmosphere in the lab.
Prof. Criado was an enthusiastic scientist. Research was for him much more than a job, it was a passion and he was a tireless worker that spent most of his life at the lab or reading papers and scientific books at home. He had an amazing memory and could remember results from experiments that were done decades ago. Thus, he had a deep knowledge of solid-state chemistry, thermal analysis and kinetics, which he was willing to share. He was willing to discuss for hours with his coworkers. Overall, he was a very generous man that spent a great deal of energy teaching and mentoring young scientist. Therefore, it is not rare than a great deal of his former students, postdocs and coworkers have nowadays positions as researchers and professors not only in Spain but worldwide.
Prof. Criado made important contributions to the fields of kinetics of solid state processes and reactivity of solids. He publishes more than 240 papers in international journals, some of them have made a deep impact in the scientific community with a significant number of citations. In the field of kinetic of heterogeneous reactions, he pointed out the limitations of linear heating experiments for discriminating from a single curve the kinetic model. He also extended the use of sample controlled thermal analysis, which he learned directly from Prof. Rouquerol and Prof. Paulik, to the study of kinetics. He proposed several kinetic analysis procedures such as the use of master curves, combined analysis, deconvolution and so on that are now extended among the scientific community. Prof. Criado was also very fond of designing and constructed instruments for performing experiments under non-conventional conditions. Thus, he constructed a huge number of sample controlled instruments using different methods for monitoring the sample and different heating procedures. He, also, modified and constructed, in collaboration with some engineering companies, high energy mills that allow working under controlled gas pressure for mechanosynthesis of compounds by gas-solid reactions.
Luis A. Pérez-Maqueda, Concepción Real, Francisco J. Gotor - Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Sevilla (CSIC-US), Seville, Spain
María D. Alcalá - Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Seville, Spain
Jiri Malek - Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic
Nobuyoshi Koga - Graduate School of Education, Hiroshima University, Japan
Dear Members,
We are very sorry to inform you that Dr John Redfern, one of the founders of ICTAC and former
Managing Director of Stanton Redcroft Ltd, has passed away aged 86 years.
Together with Dr Robert Mackenzie, John initiated the organisation of the First International
Conference on Thermal Analysis in Aberdeen in 1965. The considerable success of the Conference
resulted in the Second International Conference being held in Worcester, Mass, USA, in 1968.
At this meeting the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis (which later became ICTAC)
formally came into being, with John as Secretary and Chairman of the Publications Committee.
He was equally pioneering at a national level and in 1964, while a chemistry lecturer at Battersea
College of Technology (now the University of Surrey), he organised a very successful thermal
analysis conference. This led directly to the formation of the UK Thermal Methods Group and
John followed on from Robert Mackenzie to become its second Chairman in 1967. While at
Battersea College, John together with his research student Tony Coats, also developed the
well-known kinetic method that bears their names.
Although suffering from poor health for several years, following a stroke, he made a considerable effort to be at the 50th Anniversary Meeting of the Thermal Methods Group in Cambridge in 2015. This was greatly appreciated by his many colleagues and friends and by the younger members who had the opportunity of meeting a founder of the Group.
We send our deepest sympathy to his family.
Kind regards,
Wim de Klerk Ted Charsley
President ICTAC Past President ICTAC, Past Chairman TMG
Winners of the 2016 ICTAC Awards
TA Instruments-ICTAC Award: Professor Vincent Mathot, SciTe B.V., Geleen, the Netherlands.
SETARAM-ICTAC Award: Professor Dénes Lőrinczy, Institute of Biophysics, University of Pécs, Hungary
ICTAC Young Scientist Award: Dr. Andrei Rotaru, INFLPR-National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Bucharest, Romania.
ICTAC Travel Grant recipients: Ms Dorien Baeten, KU Leuven, Belgium; Dr. Guiseppe Cavallaro, University of Palermo, Italy; Dr. Nicolas Delpouve, University of Rouen, France; Dr. Tibor Dubaj, Slovak University of Technology, Bratislava, Slovak Republic; Dr. Nataliia Gorodylova, University of Pardubice, Czech Republic; Dr. Joakim Riikonen, University of Eastern Finland, Finland.
The Awards will be presented at the 16th ICTAC Congress, Orlando, Florida August
14-19, 2016, where the winners will deliver their Award Lectures.
Dear Members,
We are sorry to have to tell you that Dr Fred Wilburn passed away this week
at the age of 91. Fred was one of the founder members of the UK Thermal
Methods Group (TMG) and was Chairman from 1975-1977.
He was a staunch supporter of ICTAC and was a Secretary of the Nomenclature
Committee and Advertising Manager for ICTAC News. He maintained his
considerable enthusiasm for thermal analysis long after his retirement and
remarkably achieved a DSc from the University of Salford at the age of 83.
He also gave an excellent lecture at the TMG TAC Conference in 2008
and made a vivid impression on the younger members of the TMG who had
never met him before.
We send our deepest sympathy to his family.
Kind regards,
Wim de Klerk Ted Charsley
President ICTAC Past President ICTAC, Past Chairman TMG
ICTAC 2016
Conference hosted by the North American Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS)
Please join us in Orlando, Florida August 14-19, 2016 at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotel & Conference Center.
Proposed Sessions are:
Kinetics and Catalysts
Pharmaceuticals
Biomaterials, Biopolymers
Energetic Materials and Thermal Hazards
Instrumentation and Methods
Fast Scanning Methods
High Temperature Thermal Analysis
Composites, Nano-composites
Polymer Stability, Degradation, Flammability
Rheology and Viscoelasticity
Thermal Transport and Electrical Properties
Thin Films and Nano-confinement
Environmental Sustainability, Green
Chemistry
Pyrolytic Methods
Wood Technology.
Read the Initial Flyer (PDF).
For more information please visit the conference website at NATAS.
Call for Nominations for the ICTAC Young Scientist Award
(incorporating the ICTAC Travel Grants)
16th ICTAC Congress, Orlando, Florida, USA, August 2016.
Introduction
Following the decision by the ICTAC Council in 2012, the ICTAC Young Scientist Award
and the ICTAC Travel Grants have been merged. The choice of the Travel Grant recipients
will be based on the ranking order provided by the ICTAC Scientific Awards Committee for
candidates for the ICTAC Young Scientist Award.
ICTAC Young Scientist Award
This Award will be presented to an outstanding young scientist working in the field of
thermal analysis and calorimetry to enable them to present a paper based on their work at a
Plenary Session of the 16th ICTAC Congress. The Award consists of a plaque and $2000
towards the Congress Registration Fee, travel and the living expenses at the Congress.
Candidates must be under the age of 35 on the 31st December 2015.
The previous winners of this Award, which was formerly the PerkinElmer-ICTAC Young
Scientist Award, are: Dagmar Brandova, Czechoslovakia (1985); Judith Schlichter-
Aronheim, Israel (1988); Jĭrí Málek, Czechoslovakia (1992);; Nobuyoshi Koga, Japan (1996);;
Erqiang Chen, USA (2000); Christopher Li, USA (2004); Imre Miklós Szilágyi, Hungary
(2008); Séverine Boyer, France (2012).
ICTAC Travel Grants
The ICTAC Travel Grant programme aims at preparing the future of ICTAC by helping
bright and young scientists to keep a continuing interest and activity in the fields of Thermal
Analysis & Calorimetry. Five Travel Grants of up to $1500 each are available to enable the
recipients to present a paper based on their work at the appropriate Technical Session of the
16th ICTAC Congress. Grants would be payable by the ICTAC Treasurer at the Congress as a
contribution to the lodging and travel expenses
Nominating Procedure
Nominations should include a letter of nomination by the President of their Affiliate Society
on behalf of their Council, curriculum vitae, list of publications and a one page abstract of the
paper that the candidate intends to present at the 16th ICTAC Congress. The complete
nominating material should be sent in electronic format to Professor E.L.Charsley, Chairman
of the ICTAC Scientific Awards Committee (e.l.charsley@hud.ac.uk) by the 31st January
2016. Only one nomination is permitted for each Affiliate Society.
Professor E.L.Charsley
Chairman ICTAC Scientific Awards Committee
IPOS, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield,
Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK
Download the PDF-file of this publication.
SETARAM-ICTAC Award 2016
Nominations are invited for the SETARAM-ICTAC Award to be presented at the 16th
International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry Congress to be held in
Orlando, Florida, USA in August 2016.
The Award will be made to the person who has, in the judgement of the ICTAC Scientific
Awards Committee and the ICTAC Council, made an outstanding contribution to the science
of calorimetry (preferably out, or not only, in the scope of DSC) or who has shown
significant leadership in or made an outstanding contribution to the profession of calorimetry.
The Award will consist of a plaque, an honorarium of $1000, travel and living expenses at the
16th ICTAC Congress and the Congress registration fee.
The previous winners of the award are I. Wadsö, Sweden (2000); H. Suga, Japan (2004);
I. Lamprecht, Germany (2008); A. Beezer (UK), (2012).
Nominations should include a letter of nomination by the proposer, a letter of consent to the
nomination by the candidate, curriculum vitae, list of publications, and any other relevant
supporting material. Up to two letters of support may also be supplied. The complete
nominating material should be sent, in electronic format to Professor E.L.Charsley, Chairman
of the ICTAC Scientific Awards Committee (e.l.charsley@hud.ac.uk) by the 30th November
2015.
Download the PDF-file of this publication.
TA Instruments-ICTAC Award 2016
Nominations are invited for the TA Instruments-ICTAC Award to be presented at the 16th
International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry Congress to be held in
Orlando, Florida, USA in August 2016.
The Award will be made to the candidate who has, in the judgement of the ICTAC Scientific
Awards Committee and the ICTAC Council, made an outstanding contribution to the science
of thermal analysis and/or shown significant leadership to the profession of thermal analysis.
The Award consists of a plaque, an honorarium of $1000, travel and living expenses at the
16th ICTAC Congress and the Congress registration fee.
The previous winners of the Award are:
P.D. Garn, USA (1997); G. Lombardi, Italy (1980); P.K. Gallagher, USA (1982);
R.C. Mackenzie, UK (1985); D. Dollimore, USA (1988); J. Sestak, Czechoslovakia
(1992); B. Wunderlich, USA (1996); T. Ozawa, Japan (2000); S. Cheng, USA (2004);
C. Lacabanne, France (2008); J. Blażejowski, Poland (2012).
Nominations should include a letter of nomination by the proposer, a letter of consent to the
nomination by the candidate, curriculum vitae, list of publications, and any other relevant
supporting material. Up to two letters of support may also be supplied. The complete
nominating material should be sent, in electronic format to Professor E.L.Charsley, Chairman
of the ICTAC Scientific Awards Committee (e.l.charsley@hud.ac.uk) by the 30th November
2015.
Download the PDF-file of this publication.
ICTAC TA Nomenclature has been endorsed finally by the IUPAC
New Nomenclature rules
The ICTAC TA Nomenclature has been endorsed finally by the IUPAC and this has been published in the April 2014 issue of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
ICTAC records its deep sense of appreciation to the Nomenclature Committee members and other participants in this mission for their tremendous efforts in updating the nomenclature rules.The IUPAC policy does not put any restriction to the circulation and copying of the document, provided the reference of the publication and the IUPAC copyright are clearly shown.
Trevor Lever, Peter Haines, Jean Rouquerol, Edward L. Charsley, Paul Van Eckeren and Donald J. Burlett (2014) ICTAC nomenclature of thermal analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2014). Pure Appl. Chem. 86(4), 545–553. DOI 10.1515/pac-2012-0609.
Download the PDF-file of this publication.
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