See You in San Francisco!
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Letter from the President
See You in San Francisco! The Materials Research Society is identified with its meetings more than almost anything else it does. It was created to organize meetings, and it organizes some of the best meetings on materials research topics anywhere in the world. We have developed other excellent programs over the years, too, including some fine publications like this one, but it is the meetings that most clearly identify what MRS is about—timely, high-quality communication about current issues in materials research. MRS meetings are created in a unique process that is beginning to be emulated, in part, by some of the other materials societies and by the various adhering bodies of the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS). The most distinct feature of our meetings is that no part of them is controlled by any technical standing committees. The meeting programs are created by the meeting chairs, starting with a blank sheet of paper (at least metaphorically speaking, in an increasingly paper-free age). The set of technical symposia is usually decided about one year ahead of the meeting, and it reflects the meeting chairs’ best judgment of what is most interesting in the field of materials research. The symposium organizers are carefully chosen, too, to provide access to the most interesting and useful subtopics. All of this program-building is done with the assistance and experience of the Program Committee, which is one of MRS’s most important working committees, and the MRS staff, who make it all seamless for the member-volunteers. The meeting chairs often add special components of their own, and the upcoming Spring Meeting, for example, has a special session on the role of materials research in the fight against terrorism. Each meeting is different and provides a unique opportunity to learn what is going on in cuttingedge materials research. The technical symposia are the heart of any MRS meeting, although there are many other activities, too. These include tutorials, a plenary address, a research competition for graduate students, employment exchanges, an equipment exhibit,
“Change is inevitable in any scientific discipline.”
and many others, but the symposium topics are the most clearly defining aspect of any MRS meeting. I have heard MRS criticized for having altered the course of materials science and engineering by its choice of symposium topics, but this does not reflect the true role of the Society. The choice of topics is based upon what is most interesting at any given time, and rather than actually altering the course of our subject, the meetings provide an early indication of its various changes of emphasis and direction. In some cases, this inevitably results in validating a new topic as a subject worthy of study by materials scientists, but that is only a byproduct, not a deliberate agenda. Change is inevitable in any scientific discipline. MRS reflects the changes in materials science, quickly, accurately, and effectively. And, yes, sometimes it is hard
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