OUR MEETINGS ARE TWENTY YEARS!!!
Dear colleagues! ICHMS Organizing Committee was
very glad to mark by celebration jointly with you the
twentieth anniversary of our meetings in Crimea.
Since this conference is jubilee, so it is worth stoping and
turning back in order to remember the main steps of hard
way twenty years long.
By the time of 1st ICHMS conference was carrying out
(Odessa, 1987) the International Hydrogen Energy movement
was twelve years old. Fundamental investigations in the
field of Me-H systems was of more than hundred years (if
work of T. Graham of 1866 year is considered to be a
start moment).
So, there was large extent of knowledge on
investigation of fundamental basis of hydrogen in metals
as well as on the use of hydrogen-resistant and hydrogencontaining
materials in technique at the time of 1st
ICHMS conference. The great flow of information
required its constant systematization and discussion of
controversial moments.
Two leading international conferences existed at that
time within the framework of International Hydrogen
movement. The first is World Hydrogen Energy
Conference (WHEC), conducted by International
Association for Hydrogen Energy, and President of
International Association for Hydrogen Energy Prof. T.
Nejat Veziroglu (USA) is the Chairman of WHEC
Organizing Committee. The second is International
Symposium on Metal-Hydrogen Systems. Fundamentals
and Applications and this conference has more
fundamental orientation.
Both conferences were not readily available by
scientists from USSR (for the known reasons) and by
many scientists from CIS after the Union disorganization.
It was necessary to carry out our own forum economically
accessible by scientists of socialist camp, allowing the
summarization of two-year investigations in the field of
hydrogen materials science and hydrogen energy.
This idea occurred to Prof. Vladimir A. Lavrenko,
head of department №16 of Institute for Problems of
Materials Science of USSR. The first two conferences on
Me-H systems chaired by Prof. V.A. Lavrenko were
organized and held in 1987 and 1989 years in Odessa
(Ukraine) and we joined in its organization and carrying
out with great enthusiasm. The participation of leading
specialists in this conference made it immediately quite
authoritative. The conferences on similar themes, which
were carried out by another research schools, were nonpermanent
for various reasons.
So, the further realization of our ICHMS conference
was under the threat of frustration. The 3rd ICHMS
conference did not take place in proper time in connection
with the Union disintegration. Only our meeting with
well-known scientists Prof. B. Baranowski (Poland),
Prof. L. Schlapbach (Switzerland) and Prof. S. Suda
(Japan) at the Gordon conference on Me-H systems
(Tilton, USA) in 1993 year and discussion with them of
arised situation compeled us to make a decision about the
continuation of ICHMS conferences. Especially
Prof. B. Baranowski rendered important assistance in our
conference reanimation.
In 1993 year the conference obtained its new name.
We discussed it for a long time with Prof. B. Baranowski,
but could not find at once the sonorous name and only the
case helped us. The review of academician
V.V.Skorokhod on our paper began with words:
“The paper is devoted to the problems of hydrogen
materials science and chemistry of metal hydrides” and
that solved our problem. ICHMS conferences beared this
name until 2003.
The Chairman of ICHMS International Organizing
Committee Prof. Victor I. Trefilov contributed heavily
into the conference organization and carrying out. In hard
times of Ukrainian State formation and impoverishment
of scientific organizations of CIS countries he
“convinced” the officials of different ranks by the force of
his authority in the necessity to support such activities. In
his life the Ministry of Science of Ukraine provided a
great assistance in ICHMS conference organization.
Investigations in the field of hydrogen materials science
and hydrogen energy and later carbon nanostructural
materials research performed actively in the Institute for
Problems of Materials Science of UAS under his
supervision. The ICHMS conferences received support
from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and
the First Vice-President of Academy, academician
A.P.Shpak.
Prof. B. Baranowski (Poland) become the Chairman
of ICHMS International Organizing Committee from
2003 year and the conference name was changed at this
time. The sensation in search of carbon nanostructures of
high hydrogen capacity had arouse a big flow of
presentations on this subject, that made up one third of all
presentations already at the ICHMS’2003 Conference.
The Co-chairmen of Program Committee Dr. B.P.Tarasov
and Dr. Yu.M. Shul’ga made a suggestion to fulfill the
replacement of the words “chemistry of hydrides” in the
conference name by “chemistry of carbon nanomaterials”
with no change of short name (ICHMS).
For X ICHMS’2007 conference the presentations on
hydrogen and carbon materials science
submitted in equal proportions.
Thus, our ship by the name of ICHMS has weathered
the twelve-year rolling and recurrent storms and again will open doors for You.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Dmitry V.Schur,
Chairperson, Program Committee of ICHMS
Prof. Svetlana Yu. Zaginaichenko,
Co-Chairperson, Program Committee of ICHMS
