Brian G. Higgins

Welcome to the web site of the International Society of Coating Science and Technology (ISCST). The ISCST is a technical society formed by an international group of academic and industrial scientists and engineers to foster fundamental understanding of liquid-applied coating processes. ISCST serves as an interface between scholarly research and industrial practice: both are welcome but it is the interplay between the two that makes ISCST unique. Approximately two-thirds of current ISCST members are from industry, with the remainder coming from other places such as academia and national laboratories.

The ISCST organizes the biennial International Coating Science and Technology Symposium, the world’s premier forum for presenting advances in the mechanisms and process technology needed for applying wet coated layers. Information about previous Symposia, including extended abstracts, can be found at this web site. The next ISCST Symposium will be held in September 2018. The ISCST collaborates with the coating communities in Europe and Asia, and co-sponsors the European Coating Symposium and the Japan Coating Symposium.

The most recent Symposia have shown a dramatic shift in the topics being presented: from emphasis on traditional coating and drying processes of traditional high-capacity coating industries, to emerging applications such as photovoltaics, fuel and battery cells, all sorts of biomedical applications, and electronic displays, that bring with them many new and exciting challenges. The ISCST Symposium has become a great place to learn of new findings and approaches that will allow participants to return to their workplace and adapt some of them to their own coating problems.

ISCST traditionally offers a continuing education program immediately preceding its Symposium. Our last addition, the revamped course “Coating Substrates and Substrate Interactions”, received rave reviews. Additional continuing education activities are in the works. The ISCST also sponsors the John A. Tallmadge Award for outstanding contributions to coating technology and the L. E. Scriven Young Investigator Award.

The ISCST is always seeking new ways to serve the coating community at large – our existing membership and partners as well as potential new members and partners. Past President Ted Lightfoot has appointed a Scientific Advisory Committee that is now charged with developing strategic and marketing plans; we expect that implementation of these plans will enable ISCST to provide greater influence and expand our services. Please contact me if you have any thoughts on how ISCST can better serve the coating community.

Brian G. Higgins
President, ISCST

Categories: ISCST Symposium