1996 ASC 11th Technical Conference Recap – Atlanta, GA
By Navid Zobeiry, Communications Editor, American Society for Composites, Last updated: May 11, 2025
The 11th Annual Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites (ASC) was held from October 7–9, 1996, at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The event was chaired by Prof. W. Steven Johnson of Georgia Institute of Technology, who was recognized for his leadership with a commemorative plaque presented by ASC President Dr. H. Thomas Hahn.
A total of 110 technical papers were presented, with major focus areas in temperature-dependent behavior, fatigue and fracture mechanics, thermoplastic composites, and hybrid metal-composite systems. These themes underscored the community’s dedication to advancing composite durability and performance under challenging environmental and mechanical conditions.
Top Phrases and Themes
- Three-dimensional composites and life prediction under long-term conditions
- Room temperature vs. elevated temperature performance
- Hybrid titanium structures and rehabilitation of steel systems
- Axial compression and fatigue life modeling
For the complete list of presented papers, please see:
1996 Word Cloud highlighting dominant themes in ASC 11 technical papers.
Top Contributing Authors
- John W. Gillespie, Jr. – 10 papers
- Michael W. Hyer – 7 papers
- W. S. Johnson – 4 papers
Awards and Recognition
- ASC Fellow: Dr. H. Thomas Hahn (University of California, Los Angeles)
- Outstanding Researcher Award: Dr. Isaac M. Daniel (Northwestern University) – Honored for his outstanding contributions to composites research, presented by Dr. Hahn.
- Technomic Award in Composites: Dr. Lawrence T. Drzal (Michigan State University) – Presented by Mr. Mel Kohudic, Chairman of Technomic Publishing, recognizing excellence in service, research, and education in the composites field.
Conference Banquet
The conference banquet was held on the evening of October 8 at 6:30 PM in the Glenmar Room of the Omni Hotel. A highlight of the event was the keynote address by Prof. Sam Shelton of Georgia Tech, celebrated inventor of the Olympic torch, who delivered an engaging talk that linked innovation in engineering with symbolic global events.
Organizing Committee
- Conference Chair: Prof. W. Steven Johnson (Georgia Institute of Technology)
References
- Proceedings of the 11th Technical Conference of the American Society for Composites, Atlanta, GA, 1996.