The aims of the International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy are to update practitioners of spectroscopy (and related disciplines) on new experimental and theoretical developments in this field of research and to create an opportunity for researchers from the various spectroscopies to discuss their problems in an interdisciplinary framework. Spectroscopy investigations concern the phenomena observed when radiation from a source, separated into its various wavelengths, is made to interact with the constituents of a physical system. Through the examination of particular spectra, known molecular species can be identified; by means of spectroscopy, for example, it has been possible to detect the presence of chemical elements in distant stars. More basic applications of spectroscopy science have resulted in a growing understanding of atomic and molecular structures and phenomena such as luminescence. Although the rotational, vibrational, and electronic states of molecules continue to be investigated, another subject of intense study is the field of energy transfer between the different degrees of freedom of molecules. In solids, spectroscopy investigations are directed at discovering the relationships between absorption and emission properties with the position of constituents and crystal symmetry. New studies in the field of impurity spectra have demonstrated the usefulness of spectral data in providing information on the phonon spectra of solids. Furthermore, on the basis of purely spectroscopic data, it is possible to predict the feasibility and efficiency of solid-state systems as possible laser materials. The new modern technique of flash photolysis has extended the use of spectroscopy to the excited states of gases, liquids, and solids, with the measurement of transitions not permitted by the fundamental state. Used to verify the evolution of a reaction, this technique has made it possible to discover the presence of transient species, often previously unobserved and only present for a short time under particular experimental conditions. The International School of Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy will organise advanced institutes in the various atomic and molecular spectroscopies. These include optical spectroscopy (absorption and emission), infrared and Raman spectroscopy, electron-spin resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance, Mossbauer spectroscopy, etc. The approach of each institute will be interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on the similarities between the various spectroscopic techniques.