MRS: Conception, Gestation, Birth, and Infancy
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THE EMERGENCE OF MRS APRIL 1966 Idea of new "materials society" discussed at business meeting. First International Conference on Characterization of Materials (ICCM-I), University Park, PA, organized and chaired by R. Roy (Penn State). APRIL 1967
Need for professional organization in field of materials is raised with national leadership. Letter sent to F. Seitz, (President, NAS) from Roy. MAY 1968 Federation of Materials Societies (or American Institute of Materials) proposed and discussed. N. Promisel champions that cause henceforth. National Research Council meeting. Roy introduces topic as a representative of the American Chemical Society. JUNE 28,1968 Committee on intersociety cooperation in materials (CICM) appointed by Seitz via Promisel; CICM holds first of several meetings. CICM meets. The committee includes Promisel (director, NMAB), Roy, H.C. Gatos (MIT), N.B. Hannay (vice president, Bell Labs), R.A. Huggins (ARPA), and I. Warshaw (NSF). NOVEMBER 1968 First proposal written for establishment of a national materials science and engineering society. Letter from J.H. Schulman, NRL, cites his and DOE and ARPA managers' opposition to a new society. ICCM-II held at Rochester, NY. Roy proposal on a new society discussed and voted on by attendees; favored by a 3:1 margin. APRIL 14-16,1969 At breakfast meeting (April 16) of W.O. Baker (Bell Labs), Warshaw, Huggins, and Roy, the decision is made to support (a) NAS study (COSMAT), (b) Federation of Materials Societies (FMS), and (c) a new society. National Colloquy on Field of Materials, University Park, PA (first materials policy meeting ever); chaired by Roy.
i JANUARY 26,1970 First draft of scope of society and purposes; meetings outlined. Roy mails agenda for meeting to found "Materials Science Society" to E. Baer (CWRU), Gatos, Hannay, R. Hanneman (GE), M.B. Myers (Xerox), Warshaw, and L. Weisberg (RCA). Meeting held at "House of Chan," Chinese Restaurant, New York City.
This is the story of the conception, gestation, birth, and infancy of the Materials Research Society. It is of uncommon significance since it is the record of the United States' first attempt to institutionalize an interdisciplinary field. "Materials research" still represents the pioneer and largest field, where the paradigm of western science's fissiparous evolution has been stopped and partly reversed. It was not an easy path. It is far from complete.
MRS: Conception, Gestation, Birth, and Infancy Rustum Roy I will begin by describing the setting of the national research activity in materials from World War II onwards, because that 10- to 15- year period was the seedbed in which it all started. Two parallel developments marked the 1945-55 decade. The first was the rise to world-power status of American industry, playing, albeit, on a very tilted playing field. This success was the cause, not the resu It of the buildup of an enormous and extraordinarily successful research enterprise. That was the era of the great research labs: Bell, GE, DuPont, IBM, United Aircraft, etc., the cathedrals
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