Who and what is the Academia NDT International?

Did you know that the first Nobel Prize was awarded to Wilhelm Roentgen in 1901 for his discovery of X-ray in 1895? In 1903, Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize for her discovery of radioactivity, then again in 1911 for discovering polonium and radium. She became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize, first person to receive it twice and only person to receive in in two different disciplines. The term 'Non-Destructive Testing' not yet coined, Roentgen and Curie launched NDT into new frontiers with their discoveries. Until then, NDT was limited to blacksmiths listening to the sound of metal when struck; ancient Romans using flour and oil to find cracks in marble slabs; and railroad engineers soaking railway parts in oil then coating them with white chalk to find cracks. The first is modern-day tap testing and the latter two early takes on modern-day penetrant testing. Roentgen and Curie received their Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, but their applications were the core essence of NDT. 

One might argue that every chapter of the Physics book constitutes the basic foundation of some NDT method. In fact, a good understanding of NDT requires a study in materials science, engineering, physics and even quantum mechanics. The discovery of electricity led to Roentgen’s discovery of X-ray. Materials science and quantum physics led to gamma ray. Electricity and materials science led to ultrasound. Electromagnetics led to eddy current and magnetic methods. Quantum physics led to the definition of photons and paved the way for laser methods, thermography, microwave and many other methods. 

We are standing on the shoulders of giants and the torch has been passed on to us. The modern-day Roentgens, Curies, Maxwells, Faradays, Plancks and others are within us. Academia is a community of prominent NDT scientists, engineers and technology developers. They joined forces to push forward, expand our frontiers and explore new NDT horizons. Academia is a truly global non-profit organisation not limited by region, country or societal affiliations. Its primary purpose is to promote NDT research, education and engineering integrity; recognise and highlight innovations in NDT; foster research; and communicate with industry partners regarding their needs and possibly collaborate with them to explore new directions that serve the global NDT community. Come and meet us during the Academia International Research Day (AIRD) that we organise during major international conferences, or simply send us an e-mail. We would love to connect with you.