The International Thermal Conductivity Conference was started in 1961
with the initiative of Mr. Charles F. Lucks, who passed away on 8 July
1982 and to the memory of whom this volume is dedicated. These
Conferences on thermal conductivity grew out of the needs of researchers
in the field. The Conferences were held annu- ally from 1961 to 1973 and
have been held biennially since 1975 when our Center for Information and
Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS) of Purdue University
became the Permanent Sponsor of the Conferences. These Conferences
provide a broadly based forum for researchers actively working on the
thermal conduc- tivity and closely related properties to convene on a
regular basis to exchange their ideas and experiences and report their
findings and results. The Conferences have been self-perpetuating and
are an example of how a technical community with a common purpose can
transcend the invisible, artificial barriers between disciplines and
gather together in increasing numbers without the need of national pub-
licity and continuing funding support, when they see something
worthwhile going on. It is believed that this series of Conferences not
only will grow stronger, but will set an example for research- ers in
other fields on how to jointly attack their own problem areas.