Welcome Message From ITC President

Dear Colleagues:

It is with great pleasure that I will be able to welcome you to 7th ASIATRIB and 9th CHINATRIB in the historical city of Tianjin.

The ITC exists to facilitate communication between tribologists worldwide, and this conference, with its many international participants, will be an excellent demonstration of this principle. We also are responsible for ensuring that international congresses (the World Tribology Congress, WTC) take place at regular intervals, and I remind you that the next WTC will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (20-25 September, 2026).

This conference happens in a period of crises: geopolitical and climatic. While we, as tribologists, can only hope that the politicians can solve the former, we hold some of the keys to the latter. Whether it be in the design of better lubricants to reduce CO2 emissions and lower energy consumption or the design of better tribological systems to improve the reliability of wind turbines, tribologists can play a very significant role in meeting net-zero and sustainability goals.

Despite our importance in solving some of these vital issues, our role as tribologists is often invisible. We have a responsibility to educate not only the public as to the criticality of tribology, but also a significant number of engineers (especially non-mechanical engineers). Tribology should form a part of all engineering curricula, and high-school teachers should incorporate tribological projects into their school programs. Tribology societies, world-wide, have a responsibility to the field to implement such activities.

I look forward to meeting many of you and enjoying many presentations at the exciting conference that the organizers have planned. Please enjoy the conference and the days of intellectual stimulation in fascinating surroundings.

Sincerely,

Nicholas D. Spencer

President, International Tribology Council