Sixty-nine registered delegates attended the annual conference held this year at the University of Georgia. Included in the five program sessions were 35 oral and poster technical presentations and historical reviews contributed by an international slate of authors. The closing day technical tour was through the manufacturing facilities of Electrostatic Spraying Systems, Inc. to view a wide product line of air-assisted electrostatic-induction crop sprayers.

I wish to acknowledge with appreciation the extensive efforts by Dr. Souvik Banerjee and Dr. Jayesh Doshi as members of our conference-program committee as well as by additional session chairs - Dr. Tom Jones, Dr. Glenn Schmieg and Dr. W. Balachandran. Due to my wife's serious medical diagnosis shortly before conference time, numerous other ESA members and U of Ga. graduate students graciously volunteered their assistance to be responsible for a number of scheduled tasks in my absence; these crucial inputs, as well as the ESS, Inc. sponsorship of evening social receptions, are likewise gratefully acknowledged.

Finally, Sue and I wish to express our deepest appreciation to our ESA friends for all thier well wishes, gifts and caring expressions of love - it truly is the "friendly society" in both word and deed. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all in Palo Alto next year.
Ed Law
Chairman, ESA 25th Annual Conference

ELECTIONS

A question has been raised as to the restrictive burden placed on anyone who nominates a slate of candidates for the ESA Executive Council election that is held every two years. Although the Council often agrees to a second term, some feel that it would be better if the slate concept were changed to a group of individual nominations. Dale Mashtare has agreed to Chair the By-Laws Committee and look into this matter. He would welcome any thoughts and opinions that you gave on this matter. He can be reached at Xerox Corp., 317 Main Street, East Rochester, NY 14445, Phone: 716-383-7175, dale_mashtare@xn.xerox.com.

ESA 97 AWARDS PRESENTED

Humphrey Wong, Chair of the Awards Committee, presented the following awards at the 97 Annual Meeting:
Ion I InculetJoseph M. Crowley Lifetime Achievement AwardDistinguished Service Award
Robert W. GundlachIon Inculet Lifetime Achievement AwardLife Member Award
Congratulations to all these distinguished ESA members and a heartfelt thanks for their contributions to electrostatics and to the ESA.

ESA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ELECTED FOR JULY 1997 - JUNE 1999 TERM

Only one slate of candidates was submitted to the ESA Secretary and as a result the slate was unanimously approved by the membership at the Annual Meeting. The slate consisted of the smae officers who had been elected for the previous two years. The new Executive Council consists of:
President, Al Seaver (3M)
Vice-President, Mark Zaretsky (Kodak)
Council Member, Ed Escallon (Terronics)
Council Member, Mark Horenstein (Boston University)
Council Member, Tom Lee (University of Minnesota)

ESA ADVISORY BOARD EXPANDS FOR 1997-98

Since the election the following people have agreed to chair the following new committees and posts and as a result they became members of the ESA Advisory Board.
Anne S. Benninghoff, Archivist
Steve Cooper, Information Awareness Committee
Jayesh Doshi, Publicity Committee
Dale Mashtare, By Laws Committee

Likewise, the following people have agreed to continue to chair their respective committees and posts which makes them members of the ESA Advisory Board.
Joe Crowley, Publications Committee
Emery Miller, Secretary-Treasurer
Bill Smart, Newsletter Editor
Humphrey Wong, Awards Committee

Thanks are extended to these members for their past contributions and for their upcoming committments. THANKS When I was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at our ESA banquet a few weeks ago I was so surprised that, as I think back on it, I'm not sure I reflected the degree of gratitude that I truly felt on being given this honor. Also, I'm proud to be in the good company of Senichi Masuda, Gaylord Penney and Ian Inculet, in receiving this award. There is a biblical passage that suggests "a prophet is without honor in his own country". The ESA has proven it doesn't subscribe to that doctrine and I thank you all for that. I'd like to add that I feel deeply indebted to Xerox Corporation for providing the atmosphere in which exploratory research in unproved, high risk concepts was encouraged and funded throughout my 43 years with them. I can't get over my good fortune in landing, in 1952, in a company with both management and technical challenges so well suited to my interests and needs. Nor can I say enough about my good fortune in being invited by A. D. Moore to attend the preliminary organizing meeting for the ESA on Whiteface Mountain in October 1968. That was the beginning of another great adventure.

Both Xerox and the "friendly society" have enriched my life immeasurably.

With sincere thanks,
Bob Gundlach
PS - Congratulations to Ian Inculet!

ESA MEMORABILIA

At their recent meeting the ESA Council decided that it was about time that something was done about preserving those things (items, papers, apparatus, etc) that were related to the forming of the ESA so that they would be available to those who follow. Anne S. Benninghoff was appointed as Archivist. Her first problem, as one might expect, is one of determining just where such material can be deposited for safe keeping. She has asked that we solicit your aid in helping her with these two problems.

She has already considered and contacted several local libraries as locations for printed materials and such but has met with only limited success. If you have any items that might be of interest or know the location of any such items; or if you have any thoughts about a location where such items and materials might be stored, Ann would appreciate your contacting her at 3315 Alton Court, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, (313-761-4320). She has a big job to do and will welcome any help or thoughts you might have.
Emery Miller

UPDATED MEMBERSHIP ROSTER TO BE ISSUED

Plans are underway for an updated membership roster. A form with your current information (according to our records) will be mailed to you within the next few months. When you receive this form, please check all the information and send any corrections to Newsletter Editor Bill Smart. On the form will be a table of options to allow members to indicate what information (address, phone number or e-mail) they wish to have listed (or not listed) listed in the Membership Roster.

INFORMATION AWARENESS

Steve Cooper has agreed to Chair the Information Awareness Committee. This committee will look into a way for ESA members to receive information (on products, processes, etc.) relevant to electrostatics without getting junk mail. There is some division amongst ESA Members as to what constitutes junk mail and Steve would welcome any comments you have regarding the subject. Also, If you would like to join this committee, contact Steve at Electrostatic Spraying Systems, 67 Depot St., Watkinsville, GA 30677, Ph: 706-769-0025, Fax: 706-769-8072, e-mail: esscooper@aol.com.

PITH-BALLS

I'm not sure of the origin of "pith" that's been used for generations to demonstrate induced charge, by suspending a pith-ball between two vertical conductors with a high potential difference applied. The pith-ball bounces back and forth. It works about as well using a ball of aluminum foil, but for some reason there is great demand for the old traditional pith-ball.

I have a friend who makes science kits for schools and his source of pith-balls has dried up. His source has, for years, been a little old lady who, in her 80's, says she's getting too old to go through the hassle of getting them from Germany. And she won't reveal her supplier. Does anyone know of a source in America or, for that matter, anywhere else in the world? It would be worth a lot to my friend.

If I get no positive response, I think I'll try using balsa wood soaked in salts and then dried out. I'll bet it would work the same.
Bob Gundlach

ELECTROSTATIC CHARGING OF THE MARS PATHFINDER ROVER

Tom Jones sent us a copy of the following article by Joseph C. Kolecki.

"The Mars Pathfinder mission includes a free ranging, solar powered surface rover. The rover will travel about on Martian rock, sand, and clay, conducting technology experiments and deploying various instruments.

While it was still being developed, tests and calculations done by the NASA Lewis Research Center Space Environmental Effects Branch indicated the very real possibility that, when moving over the Martian surface and compacting the surface dust, the rover would accumulate electrostatic charge. This charge appeared sufficient to raise onboard electrical potentials above the suspected Paschen minimum of the Martian atmosphere. The result of such potentials would be a sustained Paschen discharge.

A Paschen discharge between active components within the rover, or between the rover and its surroundings, represents a parasitic conducting path for electric current, resulting in system power loss, cross and/or short circuit phenomena, and electromagnetic noise. While, in the nominal mission on Mars, the rover will only travel a few meters per day, this distance was shown to be sufficient for significant charge to accumulate.

When JPL was appraised of this work, Pathfinder engineers decided to implement the Lewis recommendation of adding discharge points to the Pathfinder rover antenna base as a precaution against charging. Subsequently, modifications were also made in rover on-board electronics. The discharge points are made of 10 mil diameter tungsten wire, electromachined on one end to a nearly microscopic point. Six such points were produced at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and sent to JPL. Four were mounted on the rover antenna base. While these points do not entirely eliminate accumulated charge, they appear able to maintain on-board electrical potentials at acceptable levels.