Eleven years ago, in 2009, I was appointed Editor-in-Chief of this magazine. Twenty years ago I was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Microscopy and Microanalysis. Thirty years ago I was elected President of the then Electron Microscopy Society of America. As President-elect, I asked several society members what they thought the Society needed. David Joy suggested a journal. After investigating several ways to acquire a journal, EMSA Bulletin Editor Joe Harb helped me create a demonstration “journal issue.” From these efforts three things became clear: the Society must own the journal title, advertising was required to support the journal, and a publisher was needed for production and distribution. In just a dozen years, Microscopy and Microanalysis (MAM) made its mark among journals dedicated to microscopy: in 2008, 2010, and 2018 it was ranked the #1 microscopy journal. After nine years of editing our journal, I was asked to take responsibility for Microscopy Today (MTO). With the present issue I am retiring from editing MTO and from my long MSA editing career. Bob Price, former MAM editor and my long-time advisor, will become MTO editor in January.
Microscopy Today was begun by Don Grimes as a four-page newsletter in 1992. After MSA purchased MTO in 2002, Ron Anderson self-published it for the Society. Self-publishing here meant that Ron and his wife Dale did almost everything: Ron and Technical Editor Phil Oshel solicited and edited the articles, which were then typeset on Ron's computer, proofed by Ron and Dale, and sent off to the printer. Ron and Dale independently operated a successful magazine, but I would need a publisher.
In 2009 the Society engaged Cambridge University Press (CUP) to publish MTO. Managing Publisher Aaron Johnson immediately made three decisions for which I am particularly grateful: providing a designer to re-style the look and feel of MTO, hiring Mrvica Associates to handle the advertising, and hiring Gennifer Levey to manage production. I thank everyone at CUP, especially Gennifer.
My personal thanks go to our authors, advertisers, editors, and editorial board members. Our editorial staff members have been diligent supporters of MTO. In fact, the following editors contributed their time and effort over my entire editorship: Ron Anderson (Industry and Product News), Phil Oshel (article solicitation and senior advisor), Stephen Carmichael (reviews), Thomas Phillips (retiring NetNotes editor), Paul Webster (calendar), and John Shields (humor). I also thank the chief judges of our innovation and micrograph competitions, Tom Kelly and Robert Simmons. Finally, I thank our loyal readers and advertisers, many of whom have contributed articles about their research, practical tips, or information about new products and methods.
I have enjoyed my years editing MSA publications. I feel confident that editors John Mansfield (Microscopy and Microanalysis) and Bob Price (Microscopy Today) will take our publications to new heights.
