CONSTITUTION of The International Committee for Abrasive Technology (ICAT)
(Last updated on Sept. 25, 2013)
- Name and Entity
The name of the organisation is the “International Committee for Abrasive Technology”, hereafter termed the Committee, with the official abbreviation of “ICAT”.
- Nature of the Committee
2.1 The Committee was established in 2002 in Hong Kong to provide a forum for those practising in all fields related to abrasive technology, and to facilitate the development of the discipline globally through internationally collaborated activities, in particular, the organisation of the annual convention of the International Symposium on Advances in Abrasive Technology (ISAAT). The individuals who contributed to the establishment of the Committee were given the honour of Founding Member of the Committee and are listed at Annex 1 of the Constitution.
2.2 ICAT is an international organisation operating not for financial profit.
- Objectives and Activities
3.1 The objectives of the Committee consist of, and are not limited to, the following:
3.1.1 Promoting the international exchange of ideas and activities related to the discipline of abrasive technology;
3.1.2 Promoting international excellence in the knowledge and practice of abrasive technology;
3.1.3 Providing the co-ordination of professional matters among the national societies in abrasive technology in the world;
3.1.4 Communicating knowledge about abrasive technology with, and promote collaboration between, members and non-members, through activities organised by the Committee, typically the ISAAT.
3.2 Co-ordination of the organisation of the annual ISAAT and making decision regarding other matters relevant to the ICAT:
3.2.1 Deciding the host country and the location of each ISAAT;
3.2.2 Deciding the chairpersons of the symposium and the committees of each ISAAT;
3.2.3 Deciding the paper review process and the way the symposium proceedings are published for each ISAAT;
3.2.4 Announcing the call for papers for each ISAAT;
3.2.5 Assisting the organising committee in paper review, editing and publication of the symposium proceedings for each ISAAT;
3.2.6 Deciding matters regarding admission, withdraw and termination of ICAT members;
3.2.7 Dealing with other matters necessary to achieve the objectives of the Committee.
- Membership
4.1 Class of Membership
4.1.1 Active Members:
Active Members are individuals who:
(a) Have made a prominent contribution to the discipline of abrasive technology either as a researcher or a practicing professional; and
(b) Have made contributions to the organization of ISAAT. Such contributions may include service on the ISAAT committees, as a guest speaker, review of papers, or promoting the internationalization and development of ISAAT.
Active Members are senior members of the Committee.
4.1.2 Associate Members:
Associate Members are individuals who:
(a) Are researchers or practicing professionals in a field related to abrasive technology; and
(b) Have made contributions to the organization of ISAAT. Such contributions may include service on the ISAAT committees, as a guest speaker, review of papers, or promoting the internationalization and development of ISAAT.
Associate Members are junior members of the Committee.
4.1.3 Honorary Members:
Honorary Members are individuals who:
(a) Have served the Committee as an Active Member for no less than 5 years and have made a notable contribution to the development of the Committee and the discipline of abrasive technology; and
(b) Have retired or for an acceptable reason are unable to contribute to the Committee and participate in the activities organized by the Committee in the way expected from normal members.
4.2 Admission to ICAT as a Member
4.2.1 A professional who practices in a field related to Abrasive Technology may be admitted to the Committee as an Active Member or Associate Member, subject to Clause 4.1.
4.2.2 Nominations for admission to the Committee as an Active Member or Associate Member shall be made on the form authorised by the Committee and include a short CV (no more than 5 pages) of the nominee.
4.2.3 All nomination shall be made to the Secretariat of the Committee. An Active Member may make up to two nominations in one year.
4.2.4 A person who is to be admitted to the Committee as an Active Member shall be nominated by two ICAT Active Members, and approved by the Committee at an ICAT Annual Assembly with the support of a majority of the Active Members attending the Assembly, subject to Clause 4.1.1.
4.2.5 A person who is to be admitted to the Committee as an Associate Member shall be nominated by two ICAT Active Members, and approved by the Committee at an ICAT Annual Assembly with the support of a majority of the Active Members attending the Assembly, subject to Clause 4.1.2.
4.2.6 An Associate Member will normally serve in the Committee for at least 3 years and attend at least three ISAATs in the following 5 years before being considered for upgrading to an Active Member, subject to Clause 4.2.4.
4.2.7 The quota for new Active Members and Associate Members shall normally be limited to five per annum; and no more than three new Active and Associate Members from one country or region. The total number of Active Members in each country or region should be limited to 20 at any one time, and the number of Associate Members should be limited to 10.
4.2.8 Subject to Clause 4.1.3, an Active Member may be changed to an Honorary Member by making a written application to the Secretary-General and approved with the support of the majority of the ICAT Active Members attending an ICAT Annual Assembly.
4.2.9 There is no quota and limit of number for Honorary Members.
4.3 Term and Termination of Membership
4.3.1 There is no term limit on any class of the membership, but a membership may be terminated at a member's request.
4.3.2 A member who has not contributed to, or participated in, the ISAAT for three consecutive years may be advised to withdraw from the membership.
4.3.3 The Committee shall have authority to terminate membership of the Committee.
4.4 Miscellaneous Matters
4.4.1 All members of the Committee shall comply with the Constitution of the Committee and act ethically whenever they represent the Committee or participate in the activities organised by the Committee, including the ISAAT.
- Executive
5.1 The Committee is managed by a Board of members elected from the Active Members of the Committee. The Board Members are the Officers of the Committee.
5.2 Composition of the ICAT Board and Office of the Committee:
The Board shall comprise of a maximum of 7 members including:
Chairperson
Two Vice Chairpersons
Secretary-General
Immediate Past Chairperson (ex-officio member of the Board)
Two ordinary members
5.3 The Committee has its permanent Secretariat at the Japan Society for Abrasive Technology (JSAT), and Secretary-General from the JSAT subject to Clause 5.4. The Secretary-General is the chief administrator of the Board and the Committee.
5.4 Election and Term of the Board
5.4.1 Except for the Immediate Past Chairperson, all other Board members shall be elected from the ICAT Active Members at an ICAT Annual Assembly, with the support by a majority of the Active Members of the Committee who attend the Annual Assembly. The Secretary-General may, in due course, call for nomination or expression of interest for the Board member positions.
The incoming Board shall take office at the close of the ICAT Annual Assembly in which the Board is elected. In normal circumstances, a Vice Chairperson shall be appointed to succeed as Chairperson if the office of the Chairperson becomes vacant before the completion of the incumbent's term of office.
5.4.2 Board members shall serve a term of two years, and if re-elected, shall not serve more than two consecutive terms at the same portfolio. The Chairperson shall serve only one term and shall not be re-elected for a second term.
- Annual Assembly
6.1 The Committee will hold an Annual Assembly during the ISAAT in that year.
6.2 The Assembly shall discuss and approve or reject the following matters, when appropriate:
6.2.1 Election of new Board members and withdrawal/retirement of Board members;
6.2.2 Changes to the Constitution;
6.2.3 Admission and retirement/termination of ICAT members;
6.2.4 Matters related to the following ISAATs, as per Clause 3.2;
6.2.5 Other matters, as appropriate.
6.3 Quorum and Attendance
6.3.1 A quorum for the Annual Assembly is 51% of the Active Members who attend the ISAAT in that year, excluding proxies appointed by ICAT Members who are unable to attend the Assembly. A proxy is not entitled to vote, but may sit in the Assembly.
6.3.2 A quorum for the Annual Assembly requires the attendance of at least three (3) members of the Board. If a Board member misses two consecutive Annual Assemblies, the Chairperson may write to the member requesting him/her to withdraw from the Board, and a replacement of the member for the remainder of the term of office may be made at an Annual Assembly.
6.3.3 Associate Members are non-voting members for deciding membership of the Committee and the ICAT Board.
- Committee Member’s and Officer’s Duties and Liabilities
7.1 All members of the Committee shall act in good faith and in a lawful manner in their interaction with the other members and the general public. They shall not gain by improper use of their position.
7.2 The Committee is not legally responsible for any dealing or action of its Members who place themselves at risk of personal liability if they act unlawfully, imprudently, negligently or outside the Constitution.
7.3 The host organisations and local orgnaisers of each ISAAT are responsible for all liabilities that may be incurred in association with the organisation of the ISAAT.
- Alteration to the Constitution
Changes may be made to this Constitution by resolution at an Annual Assembly with the support of at least two-thirds of the Active and Associate Members attending the Assembly, subject to Clause 6.3.
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Annex 1: Founding Members:
ICAT was founded by the following 22 members on 17 November 2002.
Kiyoshi Suzuki, Chairman Emeritus, Nippon Institute of Technology, Japan
Jun'ichi Tamaki, Chairman, Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan
Hon-Zong Choi, Vice Chairman, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Korea
Yongsheng Gao, Vice Chairman, Hong Kong Univ. of Science and Technology, Hong Kong (China)
Tsunemoto Kuriyagawa, Secretariat, Tohoku University, Japan
Katsutoshi Tanaka, Toshiba Machine Co. Ltd., Japan
Koichi Kitajima, Kansai University, Japan
Tetsutaro Uematsu, Toyama Prefectural University, Japan
Libo Zhou, Ibaraki University, Japan
Nobuo Yasunaga, Tokai University, Japan
Seok-Woo Lee, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Korea
Chengyong Wang, Guangdong University of Technology, China
Xipeng Xu, Huaqiao University, China
Feihu Zhang, Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Pei-Lum Tso, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan (China)
- L. Pai, Kinik Company, Taiwan (China)
Harvey Pollicove, University of Rochester, USA
Stuart C. Salmon, Next Generation Technology Group Inc., USA
Jun Wang, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Xun Chen, University of Nottingham, UK
- N. Morgan, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
- Yin, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Singapore