About

The Cryogenic Society of America (CSA) is a non-profit technical society serving all those interested in any phase of cryogenics, the art and science of achieving extremely low temperatures — almost absolute zero.

Purpose & Objectives

The purpose and objectives of the Cryogenic Society of America are to:

• encourage the dissemination of information concerning low temperature processes and techniques
• bring together those in all disciplines concerned with the applications of low temperature technology
• promote research and development of low temperature processes by meetings, professional contacts, papers, reports and publications
• increase public awareness of the usefulness of cryogenic technology

History

CSA was formed in 1964 and derived most of its initial members from the aerospace industry. However, the membership is now diversified to include engineers, physicists, other scientists, sales representatives, technicians, all levels of management, systems designers and operators and a host of other occupations — with a wide range of academic degrees and from more than 47 countries. In 1971, the Helium Society was incorporated into CSA. CSA has been managed by CM Services, the Association Partnership Company since 2021. Prior to 2021, the Society was managed by Laurie & Werner Huget. 

Members

Membership in CSA is on either an individual or a corporate sustaining basis. Our members work within the Society to fulfill its purpose and objectives. Networking with others in this specialized field is a valuable benefit of membership.

CSA includes engineers and physicists, company CEOs, technicians, sales and marketing executives, laboratory heads, persons working at the national labs, at NASA, in academia, in research and development, and also in practical sales of products and services to the cryogenics community, worldwide. 

It is important to note that CSA does no lobbying. We are a non-profit educational organization.

Facts, Figures, and Accomplishments

• CSA has more than 500 paid individual members.
• More than 47 countries are represented in the CSA membership roster.
• CSA has more than 130 Corporate Sustaining Members.
• CSA members include the leading authorities in several cryogenic engineering specialties.
• CSA sponsors several educational events, including the CSA Short Courses held in conjunction with the Cryogenic Engineering Conference/International Cryogenics Materials Conference (CEC/ICMC), the Applied Superconductivity Conference (ASC) and the International Cryocoolers Conference (ICC). The Space Cryogenic Workshop, a biennial event, has been sponsored by CSA since 2001. These courses and events bring together experts in their specialties and students of various levels of expertise from around the world in a collaborative setting, facilitating the exchange of ideas and information.
• CSA organizes webinars on practical topics, allowing participants to further their careers without the need for travel.
• CSA publishes Cold Facts, the society’s magazine, an internationally recognized and respected publication that reaches more than 4,500 qualified readers per issue.
• CSA also publishes the course notes from various Short Courses, as well as specialty publications like “Low Loss Dewars and Tanks,” by Dr. Ralph Scurlock, “Low-Loss Storage and Handling of Cryogenic Liquids,” also by Dr. Scurlock, a compilation of Dr. Glen McIntosh’s Cold Facts columns, and others.
• CSA sends notices out to members of the cryogenics community through our “Newsflashes” email list, as well as our monthly e-newsletter CryoChronicle.
• CSA sponsors the Cryogenic Treatment Database, a leading resource for research and information in the field of cryogenic treatment.
• CSA is active in social media, with a presence on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, where we share news, job openings, and announcements about events with our followers.

Affiliations

• CEC/ICMC — CSA has a strong presence at the Cryogenic Engineering Conference/International Cryogenic Materials Conference, sponsoring short courses and hosting an information booth. We also participate in the awards event and distribute our literature at CEC/ICMC.
• Applied Superconductivity Conference — CSA has a strong presence at the ASC, sponsoring short courses, hosting an information booth, participating in the awards event and distributing our literature.
• International Cryocoolers Conference — We have a close cooperative relationship with this event, sponsoring a very popular short course, hosting an information table and distributing our literature.
• Magnet Technology Conferences – We have a cooperative relationship with this event and have had a presence at the meetings.
• International Institute of Refrigeration — Our relationship with the IIR is a continuing cooperative one. CSA’s Executive Director is a member of Commission A1 of IIR.
• The Assembly of Society Officers, sponsored by the American Institute of Physics — CSA is an Affiliated Society with AIP and attends this gathering of other STEM-related societies to network and represent our members.

Meetings

In addition to attending meetings with our affiliate organizations, we have also represented our members by attending other important cryogenic-related meetings and events:

• The Superconducting Particle Accelerator Forum of America
• International Cryogenic Engineering Conference/International Cryogenic Materials Conference (ICEC/ICMC)
• Compressed Gas Association’s Annual Meeting

The Cryogenic Society of America Website

This website contains a wealth of resource information on many facets of cryogenics. You can find our Calendar which contains registration information for CSA-sponsored seminars, conferences and special events as well as a list of cryogenic-related activities worldwide, the CSA Buyer’s Guide, a database with the latest information to help you locate cryogenic products and services, our recently expanded Resources section containing basic and advanced information about cryogenics, definitions of various terms and processes used in cryogenics, and our “Ask the Experts” database of cryogenic questions. Students can learn about careers in cryogenics and educational institutions with programs in cryogenics. More than 11,000 unique visitors come to this website each quarter to learn more about the exciting, specialized field of cryogenics.

Want to stay up-to-date on CSA’s activities?

Sign up to receive CSA Newsflashes and our monthly e-newsletter CryoChronicle, check out CSA’s page on Facebook and become a fan, or follow us on LinkedIn.