Dr. Horst Czichos has been President of BAM, the German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (1992-2002) and President of EUROLAB, the European Federation of National Associations of Measurement, Testing and Analytical Laboratories (1999-2003). He holds degrees in precision engineering, physics and materials science from the Free University and the Technical University of Berlin, and obtained a Dr. h.c. ... Read morefrom KU Leuven University for his research work in tribology. He is currently Professor of Mechatronics at the University of Applied Sciences, BHT Berlin, and received 2007 the Beuth Award for achievement in engineering education. Dr. Saito is currently Senior Adviser Emeritus at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and has served as Chair of ISO/TC164 (Mechanical Testing of Metals) for nine years. He received his Dr.-Eng from the University of Tokyo in 1978 and since has held various positions at the National Research Institute for Metals, including Director of Materials Evaluation Division and Deputy Director-General of the Institute. After retirement from his position as Director of the Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Dr. Leslie Smith is a Research Associate at NIST. He received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Case Institute of Technology and the Catholic University of America in physical-organic chemistry and conducted research primarily on the adsorption of polymers and the degradation of polyesters. Show Less