Materials Day 2005 – Materials and Life

Introdction

Since historical times, the cultural evolution of humans has been tightly linked to the discovery of new materials with enhanced properties and functionalities. Not only were major technological revolutions triggered by new materials, but access to new materials and insights into how to manipulate their properties defined economic and military dominance and led to the rise and fall of empires. Examples from the 20th century range from automobiles to space exploration, from silicon manufacturing to computers and telecommunication. With the advances in nanotechnology, biosciences and computation, major discoveries are being made as to how the next generation of materials can be engineered with properties that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

The Symposium will discuss ongoing discoveries in materials science and the way in which emerging materials might soon affect our lives.