In mid-December, the UFFC AdCom voted (by email) to confirm the appointment of Herman van de Vaart to the status of Emeritus Member of AdCom effective Jan 1, 2014. Herman has served the UFFC (and before that the IEEE Sonics and Ultrasonics Group, G-SU) for nearly 50 years. He joined the IEEE in 1965 and was elevated to the status of IEEE Fellow in 1988 for his work in surface acoustic wave delay line technology.

Herman was one of the founding members of the Boston Chapter of the G-SU and was its Secretary/Treasurer (1970-1971) and Chair (1971-1972). His first involvement in AdCom was as Chair of the Awards Committee (1973-1980), followed by appointment as Secretary/Treasurer (1980-1983) and election as President of G-SU (1984-1985).

During his Presidency the transition from Group on Sonics and Ultrasonics to Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control (UFFC) Society was implemented. In 1986 Herman was appointed Chair of the newly created Finance and Operations Committee (the position was later changed to Vice President of Finance) in which he continued until his “retirement” last year. His important contributions continue to make UFFC financially healthy today.

Herman’s other key roles in UFFC include serving as General Chair, Finance Chair or TPC Chair of ten Ultrasonics Symposia from 1980 to 2013, including the two Joint UFFC Symposia in Montreal and Prague. He was the second recipient of the Society’s Distinguished Service Award in 1998. It is with sincere thanks that the UFFC recognizes Herman as one of the key contributors to the Society and welcomes his guidance and advice.

back to Home Page