Surface science is an interdisciplinary field that melts together physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, nanotechnology and electronics as well as mechanical and chemical engineering in a single pot. One of the biggest global events in surface science (and the biggest such event in Europe), the 30th European Conference on Surface Science (ECOSS-30, www.ecoss30.org) was recently held in Antalya, Turkey, from August 31 to September 5.
ECOSS-30 was chaired by Prof. Şefik Süzer of the Bilkent University Department of Chemistry and hosted numerous leading figures in academic and industrial surface science research. The roster of nearly 40 plenary, keynote and invited speakers included C. Gerber (Swiss Nanoscience Institute), X. Bao (Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, China), R. Schlögel and H. J. Freund (Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin), S. F. Bent (Stanford University), I. A. Aksay (Princeton University), C. Fadley (University of California, Davis), Javier Garcia de Abojo (Institute of Photonic Sciences, Spain), J. J. Park (KAIST, Korea), S. Jenkins (University of Cambridge), H. Möhwald (Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces) and H. Oshio (Tsukuba, Japan). In addition to these world-class speakers, the conference also featured 292 oral and 302 poster presentations, attracting a total of more than 650 scientists (an all-time record high for the event) from around the world.
Organizing committee members Assoc. Prof. Gülay Ertaş (METU, Department of Chemistry) and Prof. Oğuz Gülseren (Bilkent University, Department of Physics) noted that this hugely successful meeting marked the first time ECOSS had ever been held in a non-EU member state. Prof. Süzer indicated that such events are truly instrumental in raising Turkey’s profile, through their ability to demonstrate the significant growth in the country’s scientific and technological productivity, as well as the ever-increasing competitive edge of Turkish research.
Prof. Süzer also made reference to the high praise bestowed by many participants regarding not only the topnotch scientific quality of the event, but also its organizational precision, the extensive discussions orchestrated by the session chairs, the excellent services provided to the participants and the lively nature of the social events, and expressed his personal gratitude to the organizing firm, Arber Truism. Perhaps a remark made by Prof. Chuck Fadley from the University of California, Davis, summed it all up: “The science was truly excellent, the organization impeccable, and the whole event was truly memorable.”
