Pyrotechnics Workshop

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Lore & Background

The roots of the International Pyrotechnics Society go back to 1968, when the First International Pyrotechnics Seminar was held at Estes Park, Colorado, USA. In the 1960s, specialists attended meetings to share experiences, present their work and research, and meet new people. These started as 'the Colorado meetings,' organized by the late Dr. Robert M. Blunt (1916-1995), and later formalized into what is known as the International Pyrotechnic Seminars. The Steering Committee of the Sixth International Pyrotechnics Seminar officially formed the IPS in May 1980. Since 2004, workshops on Pyrotechnic Combustion have been held immediately prior to the International Pyrotechnic Seminars, featuring extended presentations by invited specialists.

In Their Own Story

The IPS aims to help young scientists develop their careers in this field. For each Seminar, a bursary known as the Frank Carver Bursary can be awarded to assist young pyrotechnicians to attend and present their work at International Seminars sponsored by the Society, contributing to their travel costs. The Bursary is administered by a Bursary Committee under the auspices of the Society. The official publication of the IPS is the Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics journal, published bimonthly by Wiley-VCH-publisher in Weinheim, Germany.

Reader's Guide

The purposes of the IPS include: promoting and facilitating the exchange of information concerning the science and technology of energetic materials; creating and maintaining resources to expedite members' access to information; encouraging research and education; and sanctioning seminars on topics in energetic materials research, development, technology, and applications. Seminars are held on an annual basis: in even years in the USA, and in uneven years outside the USA. Meetings are sometimes jointly organized with similar organizations such as the French Association of Pyrotechnic or the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT).

Did You Know?

• The International Pyrotechnics Society was officially formed in May 1980 by the Steering Committee of the Sixth International Pyrotechnics Seminar.
• The first International Pyrotechnics Seminar was held in 1968 at Estes Park, Colorado, USA.
• The IPS membership has grown to approximately 275 people in 30 countries.
• Since 2004, workshops on Pyrotechnic Combustion have been held immediately prior to the International Pyrotechnic Seminars.
• The official publication of the IPS is the Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics journal, published bimonthly by Wiley-VCH.