Introduction
The Next Century of Superconductivity
Welcome to the Applied Superconductivity Conference, ASC 2012, to be held October 7 – 12, 2012 in Portland, Oregon.
ASC 2012 will mark the beginning of the second century of superconductivity. The last century has seen tremendous expansion of the field, from an extraordinary physical phenomenon confined to the laboratory to a broad variety of applications. What might we expect to see in the next one hundred years? Certainly there are a number of discoveries that we cannot imagine. Those we might anticipate include: Improvements to existing applications, such as low-cost MRI that would bring the technology to a large part of the world and open the door to screening for serious medical conditions, other medical applications such as magnetic cardio-imaging machines and magnetoencephalography, high-speed switches and wireless receivers for improved data handling and increased capacity, routine use of superconducting power cables and fault current limiters and a revolution in transportation using superconducting motors. In this next century we can imagine superconducting supercomputers to increase speed and substantially reduce power consumption. The discovery of new materials appears to be never-ending. What about a high temperature superconductor with excellent engineering properties? Will we see room temperature superconductors?
ASC 2012 will be a five day conference bringing together leaders in the commercial, military, research, university, and industrial communities from around the world to discuss progress and challenges in the field of applied superconductivity. There will be several plenary sessions focussing on what we might expect to see in the next century of superconductivity in science and applications, exhibitors from major superconducting and cryogenic companies, as well as daily technical discussions from an anticipated 1500 attendees from 70 countries.
We are very fortunate to have secured Portland, Oregon for the venue. Portland is a large city with a small town feel. You won’t find sales tax or smog but you will find a pedestrian-friendly town that is touted as one of the best food cities in the US. Portland is also a gateway to a natural wonderland including Mt. Hood and the Columbia Gorge. It won’t be difficult finding things to do before, during and after the conference.
Please join us at ASC 2012. On behalf of myself and the ASC Board of Directors, we look forward to welcoming you to Portland, OR in October 2012.
Steve Gourlay
Chair, ASC 2012