On behalf of the Microbeam Analysis Society (MAS), I welcome you to Richmond and Microscopy and Microanalysis 2009! This year we enter our fourteenth year in the agreement to jointly co-sponsor the annual meeting with the Microscopy Society of America (MSA), and our eighth year of meeting with the International Metallographic Society (IMS). Our technical program remains quite strong and diverse, a testament to what cooperation between the societies can accomplish. This year's program continues to offer a good blend of fundamentals, cutting edge technology and real world applications. I want to thank MSA Program Chair Janet Woodward, MSA Vice-Chair John Mansfield, MAS Co-Chair Luke Brewer, and IMS Co-Chair Fred Schmidt for constructing a program that has appeal to the novice as well as the expert. I would also like to recognize Stuart McKernan and Nestor Zaluzec for maintaining and guarding the program database, and Richard Edelmann, John Shields, and Charlie Lyman for all their efforts to publicize and produce our meeting materials.