9/11: Answering the Call
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EDITORIAL
9/11: Answering the Call MRS headquarters received an outpouring of messages from people around the world expressing their horror and sadness at the devastation from the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. While the shock of the event had seemed unyielding, such notes of support from colleagues immediately comforted me, and made clear the human side of materials science. We are more than a community of scientists and engineers. We are a community of people. Sitting at home the night of the attack, I watched CNN as materials, human lives, and freedoms we take for granted crumbled. I yearned for a way to stop it. Firefighters quenched the fire, rescue workers removed debris bucket by bucket in search of survivors, relief organizations stepped in to provide aid, government officials calmed the masses by their simple presence, psychologists and social workers stood “on call” to help prevent emotional scarring. Everyone took action. Except for me. I was paralyzed. What did my knowledge of atoms and crystal structures have to offer? How was I relevant? I gave no more support than the steel beams soft-
ened by the flames of torched jet fuel. Anguished and drained, I turned back to my routine. Just as the New York Times appeared on my doorstep the next day, I had to keep going. Almost immediately e-mail messages started coming into the MRS office from colleagues in Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, England, Australia, India, Japan, France, and other countries. Emotions welled up in me with each message I read. These messages did not laud materials science. They did not offer materials solutions. Indeed they had nothing to do with science at all. But without the science, the connections never would have been formed. When we as scientists gather around the world in the pursuit of materials research, we achieve much more than new theories, technology development, and scholarly achievement. We have learned about variations in cultures, nuances of languages, and the obstacles caused by political and financial impediments. We have gained sensitivity, and we have become friends. In the wake of this crisis, the minds of science are certain to find ways to detect, prevent, or escape such horrific danger in
the future. But to even begin that process, we need to regain our footing and recall our reasons for moving forward. The kind thoughts passed from one individual to another in our community help give purpose and speed the recovery. The materials research community forms only one of the many webs spun connecting the world. But our part in building such relationships with diverse people, one person at a time, can only help in the world’s struggle for peace. Let us take pause and think not just of this attack, but of every hardship that is suffered around the world, be it from personal loss, internal strife, or global conflict. The messages that follow are a reminder of the freedom to communicate that is the fabric of our existence as a community of scientists and engineers. We at MRS grate
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