Materials Engineering of Tomorrow

by Professor Diran Apelian, Howmet Professor of Engineering;

Director, Metal Processing Institute; Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Date:Monday, 25 April 2005

Time:14:00– 16:00

Location:Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel, Holbergsgate 30, Oslo

Abstract: The last century has marked fundamental transformations as agrarian societies gave way to an era of manufacturing and as manufacturing is transforming due to the information revolution. The passage of time is often mapped by how we communicate and how we do business. Historically, materials have played an immense role in societal transformations as evidenced by the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, the age of Steel, etc. The importance of materials has perhaps never been as monumental as it is today, in an ever expanding global marketplace and a world in which there are increasingly more people, with increasingly greater needs. The world population has gone from 2.6 billion in 1950 to 6.4 billion in 2004, and is estimated to climb over 9 billion in 2050. Though at present much emphasis in the material forum is on nanotechnology and other functional materials (vis a vis structural materials), the world is in dire need for materials engineering solutions that address the basic needs of its inhabitants. The challenges for materials engineering from a societal perspective will be reviewed and discussed. Particular attention will be paid to issues concerning housing, transportation, health, food delivery and distribution, and the packaging needs for medicine and critical substances throughout the globe. Materials solutions ought to be impelled by the basic needs of society. By looking beyond the scope of high-end technology and in addressing today's evolved primary needs, we may uncover a deeper understanding of the future of materials engineering and the challenges of the coming era.

Presented by: Diran Apelian, Howmet Professor of Engineering; Director, Metal Processing Institute; Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Biography: Prof. Apelian is Howmet Professor of Engineering and Founding Director of the Metal Processing Institute (MPI) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Apelian received his B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from DrexelUniversity (1968), and his Doctorate in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT (1972). He joined WPI in 1990 as the Institute's provost and headed MPI in 1997. He is credited with pioneering work in various areas of materials processing. He was awarded the Howard Taylor Gold Medal (1987 AFS), the Howe Medal (1990 ASM), the Champion H. Mathewson Gold Medal (1992 TMS), was awarded an Honorary Doctorate and Honorary Professor of Northwestern Polytechnic University in Xian, China (1997), and is Honorary Member of the French Metallurgical Society (2000).