Perspectives in materials research

NOV 01, 1961

The article below is based on a talk given by the author at the NATO (AGARD) Symposium on Materials Science which was held last May in Paris. Professor Seitz is head of the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois and is currently serving as president of the American Physical Society.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3057228

Frederick Seitz

Modern technology places ever‐increasing demands on the materials it needs, whether the use be for systems as prosaic as brick and mortar or housing insulation or as sophisticated as electronic components or reactor constituents. In their quest to meet these demands, the scientist and engineer are constrained by limitations imposed by nature: miracles usually are earned. It follows that the individuals concerned with developing materials must not only explore nature to the fullest in the spirit customarily associated with science, in order to possess the maximum of useful knowledge, but must also be willing to make ingenious but practical compromises with nature in the spirit of a good engineer. Ultimately, progress in the field rests upon cooperation between the scientist and the engineer.

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