SAMPE Journal - September/October 2016 - 2

Global President's Message

Prof. Luigi Torre, PhD
Material Engineering Center, University of Perugia, Italy
luigi.torre@unipg.it

Let me tell you how, here at SAMPE, we manage to make our events interesting, of high level, and at the
same time pleasant and smooth. One of the main reason for this lays in the fact that behind each event,
conference, or trade show there are good persons working at it. The local chapters of each region are
made up of people whose dedication to SAMPE is admirable. They are almost all volunteers which are
ready to spend a great part of their time to the organization of scientific sessions, student meetings or
round table discussions. It's amazing the sense of belonging of these people to the Society, which makes
them important and unique at the same time. I have seen this kind of participation in any part of the world:
in Europe, during the September events, from the chapter where the technical conference was going to
be held, and in every local chapter meeting; in North America, during the organization of the conference
sessions, the student events and the chapter meetings, and also in Japan and more recently in China.
Volunteers' participation in SAMPE activities is also contagious. In the last years, since I was involved in
the International and Global activities of SAMPE, I too was infected by the SAMPE volunteers' virus.
A global and growing Society cannot rely only on volunteers. Big and competitive events need professional
staff with full time dedication, and in my second message I want to acknowledge these people. These
people all work for you and you don't know them personally. I am talking of SAMPE staff. Yes, behind
any event organization, behind any email that you may receive from SAMPE, there is someone of our
staff which is working with great efficiency to bring you the best of our services. Since the first time that
I participated to International Board as a member of the Executive Cabinet, I was really impressed by
the organization; of the cabinet meeting, of the board meeting, of the conference and of the exhibition.
I would like to mention them all by name, but I may forget some of them so my appreciation goes to
everyone of SAMPE staff in any of the four regions. Thank you for being so good.
Exciting events are coming in September and I am looking forward to attend the next two:
In mid-September, in Liege (Belgium) there will be the SAMPE Europe International Conference and table
top exhibition, which is the must "go to" event in Europe. The Benelux Chapter has helped a lot in putting
up an interesting program. The location is great and it will be perfect for networking.
If composites are really important for you, you cannot miss the last week of September event in North
America: CAMX 2016 the most important composite trade show of America. This year we will be waiting
for you in Anaheim CA. The show is going to be greater than last year, confirming its continuous growth.
Walking through the booths, participating to our networking events, and attending the conference, will
give you the feeling to be in the right place with the right people, the people of which SAMPE is made off.
In Anaheim, we will also have our Global Board of Directors' meeting, where an important issue will be
discussed and announced later, so I will leave that for your curiosity.
Finally I want to remind you that SAMPE is made of people like me and you, your contribution and your
ideas are always welcome. So please, if you want to help, contribute or participate more actively to
our initiatives, contact your local chapter. I will be at both events so if you want to talk with me, you are
welcome.

SAMPE Journal, Volume 52, No. 5, September/October 2016

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