In short, Materials Science & Engineering is involved with all the processes that turn natural resources into useful products that impact all facets of our economy, such as aerospace, electronics, transportation, communication, construction, recreation, entertainment, environment and energy.

1.2 What is the Scope of Materials Science and Engineering?

Materials science and engineering is an interdisciplinary field. Advances in materials enable technology progress in many fields. Historically, this connection between materials and technology has been so intimate that major periods in civilization have been named after the dominant material used in that era (e.g. Bronze Age, Iron Age). In the past few decades, at the core of the progress in such diverse fields as transportation, communication, electronics, energy and environment, are significant advances in materials. We address the scientific fundamentals of materials, their processing, and their engineering design for technological applications. The central theme of the field is shown in Figure 1. We apply basic principles of chemistry, physics and biology in order to understand the structure of materials at all relevant length scales and how this structure determines its properties. We design scientific processes to fabricate materials to meet the needs of modern technology. Finally we focus on the performance of the material under specific use conditions. Perhaps, the most distinguishing feature of the discipline is the appreciation and focus on the interrelationships and interdependence between processing, structure, properties and performance.

This is a very exciting time for the field. Ever increasing performance demands in aerospace, automotive, microelectronics, environmental and biotechnology are fueling the need for materials innovation. Significant advances in our ability to characterize and manipulate materials and materials systems at different length scales are providing novel and innovative materials solutions to meet these needs. A few examples will help illustrate this point. Materials science and engineering is playing a central role in nanotechnology. The central premise of nanotechnology is exploration of phenomena and properties that manifest themselves at the nanoscale. This premise is directly aligned with the core expertise and focus of the field (interrelationship between processing, structure and properties). Photonics and optoelectronics are poised to be the next revolutionary technology for computing and communications. Development of new materials and material systems to meet the needs of this technology are proceeding at a furious pace. In biotechnology, there is need for materials solutions for longer lasting implants, scaffolds for tissue engineering, biosensors, and novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. New energy and environmental technologies have significant needs for materials solutions in the areas of fuel cells, pollution reduction and energy efficiency. Higher strength and stiffness materials are needed for a variety of automotive and aerospace applications. Finally, significant advances in computational materials science are providing an entirely different approach to the development of new materials and understanding their performance.

Materials scientists and engineers are employed in the manufacturing and service industries. Because of the wide ranging impact of materials on all technologies and industrial sectors, the materials science and engineering field offers a wide variety of employment opportunities. Excellent opportunities exist in all parts of the country. Materials engineers usually hold one of a variety of position titles such as metallurgist, metallurgical engineer, materials engineer/scientist, polymer engineer, ceramic engineer, manufacturing engineer, quality assurance engineer, process engineer, biomaterials scientist, corrosion engineer, and foundry engineer. The list is longer depending on the title that a particular employer attaches to the position. Employment opportunities and prospects have been very healthy. Materials scientists primarily work in research and development in academia, national labs and industrial labs. The focus of their work is on development of new materials, processes and fundamental research on the inter-relationship between processing, structure and properties.

Materials scientists and engineers study the synthesis and processing of materials, their inner structure at different length scale, their properties, and their performance in machines and devices serving society. In the Materials Science & Engineering Department at University of Washington, the research and academic programs unify all classes of materials: metals, ceramics, polymers, and electronic materials. The undergraduate MSE curriculum combines general core materials subjects, taken in the sophomore and junior year, followed by advanced elective subjects which treat specific topics. Because of flexibility in choice of elective subjects, students can tailor their academic programs to suit their interests in a certain class of materials, for example, materials for the computer and electronics industry. Students receive instruction in the classroom and in the laboratory, where they learn to use research-grade equipment.

At the graduate and research level, the Department has experienced rapid expansion into new areas including polymers, hybrids, biomaterials, biomimetics, nanomaterials, photonics and magnetic materials. These new areas have applications in current and emerging industries and compliment our existing strengths in ceramics, metals, electronic materials and composites.

1.6 Brief History Of The Department (see Appendix A for complete history)

The Early Years: Perhaps the first important name in the beginning of the MSE Department's history is that of the Reverend George F. Whitworth.  Having lived in eastern mining regions and having firsthand knowledge of the mining business, the Reverend Whitworth came to Seattle in 1866 looking for coal. Upon his arrival, he was appointed the third president of the University of Washington. Within a year, he had also organized the Lake Washington Coal Company, which developed coal mines in Issaquah and Renton. Although Whitworth served as the University's president for only two years, his influence led to a state law that required the University to purchase local coal for its steam plant, a practice that continued until 1969.

How much influence the Reverend Whitworth had on the event remains unknown, but on November 28, 1893, the Board of Regents established the School of Mining Engineering "to educate men for the industry." The proposed curriculum of the School was developed in 1894 and published in the University Catalog of that year, but the School itself did not materialize for several years. Instruction in mining and assaying began in 1895, taught by Professor Henry Landes, a geologist who also taught mineralogy. Initial instruction took place in the new, but not-quite-completed Administration Building, now Denny Hall, with classes held on the first floor and laboratory work conducted in "The Assay Shop," a temporary structure located 100 yards north of Denny Hall.

After a transition period during which curriculum was developed, Dean Milnor Roberts was appointed to head the now-official School of Mining Engineering in 1901. This led to program expansion, including broadened curricula, interactions with high schools, and increased student populations.  This decade marked the full establishment of the School as a major part of the University's educational program.  After the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 closed, the brick power house, located near the site of the current Suzzallo Library, was remodeled into offices, classrooms, and laboratory space for mining, metallurgy, ore dressing, and coal washing. This building, renamed Mines Hall served as the headquarters of the School until the 1920's. 

A New Mines Laboratory:   In 1911, the School of Mining Engineering was upgraded to the College of Mines.  As enrollment in the College increased during the next decade, the space in Mines Hall became too small. Through the efforts of President Henry Suzzallo, Regent Winlock Miller, and mining professionals throughout the state, funds were appropriated for the first unit of a new Mines Laboratory. 

The College of Mines began moving into the first section of the Mines Laboratory in 1921, although most of the College remained in the old Mines Hall, awaiting completion of the second half of the new laboratory.  However, in 1924, a fire that originated in the steam tunnels engulfed the old Mines Hall, destroying all but the walls. The College lost not only important contents of Mines Hall, including valuable maps and irreplaceable ores, but also its temporary home in Mines Hall. Consequently, the College was forced to crowd into the first unit of the Mines Laboratory.

When the second unit of the Mines Laboratory was finally completed in 1927, it provided space not only for the mining, metallurgical, and ceramic engineering programs, but also for the Bureau of Mines' Northwest Experiment Station and the Department of Civil Engineering. In addition, a few rooms were assigned to the Art Department for sculpture, metal, and pottery classes so that art students could take advantage of the equipment and materials in ceramic and metallurgy.   In 1947, the building was renamed Roberts Hall in honor of Dean Milnor Roberts.

Period of Prosperity:   For the College of Mines, the completion of Roberts Hall ushered in a period of prosperity. The modern structure, equipped with the latest apparatus and machinery, attracted wide interest.  Enrollment increased, and industry came to view the Mines Laboratory as a headquarters for information. In 1946, a new Kiln Building was constructed to complement the larger Roberts Hall. The Kiln Building, since renamed after former Professor Hewitt Wilson, housed six kilns of different types for ceramic study. The year 1946 also marked the College's first name change, from the College of Mining to School of Mineral Engineering. In 1968, the name was changed again to the Department of Mining, Metallurgical and Ceramic Engineering. In 1983, the name was changed to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Modernized Equipment:     In 1964, the 3-story Wilcox Hall was completed to provide additional space and facilities for the Department. The new, modern facilities included a JEM-6 electron microscope, a Philips microprobe analyzer, additional X-ray diffraction units, Instron testing machines, a helium leak detector, high frequency power generators with zone refiners and levitation melting apparatus, rolling and swaging mills, and a unique high temperature micro deformation facility.  In addition, the labs were designed so that air could be filtered and conditioned to facilitate the use of precision instrumentation in research. 

Of particular importance in the long range was the development of electron microscopy.  The JEM-7 high performance electron microscope was added in 1964 to the research facilities of the School of Mineral Engineering.  It was one of the first of these models to be installed in the United States.  Its resolution power was 4.5 Angstrom and made possible the direct observation of extended defects in crystalline materials.  In later years, this facility would be upgraded with the addition of several new electron microscopes.  Currently available resolution is 1.7 Angstroms, capable of resolving crystal lattice planes.

Emergence of Materials Science:     In the 1980s, changes were taking place on the national scene with respect to metallurgy and ceramics.  Research in these fields was coming together into a better defined field of materials research, especially as composite materials made their debut and as semiconductor device design made use of any and all materials.  In the Department, external funding grew to an average of over $2 million annually toward the end of the decade, assisting the Department in developing high quality graduate research programs.

The first phase of a major facilities project began with the construction of a new building known then as Roberts Underground (now James I. Mueller Hall).  Completed in November 1986, this building is located in front of Roberts Hall under the surface level of the former parking lot and is the home of ten laboratories, two classrooms, and an auditorium.

Remodeling of Roberts Hall began in May of 1987.  For this remodeling, Roberts Hall was completely gutted, and all interior walls removed.  The building's steel columns were reinforced to bring the 1920s structure in line with current earthquake codes while preserving the original exterior appearance.  Renovation was completed in 1989.

Upgrading of equipment accompanied the building program.  The Department was able to purchase a new scanning electron microscope, a new mechanical testing system, and a new X-ray diffraction facility.  Also added to the equipment inventory from research grants during this period were two high-resolution electron microscopes, one for high quality analysis and the other for atomic imaging, and a molecular beam epitaxy system for growth of compound semiconductor devices.

These upgrades made the Department one of the better equipped programs nationally for materials research and education.  The overall facilities upgrade gave the Department one of the best physical facilities on campus, both in terms of external and internal appearance and in terms of functionality.

The Last Decade:     In the 1990s, materials science and engineering continued to mature as a field. The distinguishing characteristic of this decade in the field was the increased focus on interdisciplinary research. Beginning in the late eighties, the Department started developing new interdisciplinary research programs in computational materials science, biomimetics, electronic materials, surface science and composites. There was a noticeable and significant shift in the employers of the department. Increasingly, students were being recruited by users of advanced materials as opposed to materials processors and traditional materials industries (e.g. Intel as opposed to U.S. Steel). Finally, there was broad realization of the importance of materials and increasingly, research in the field was being conducted by a large number of colleagues who are in other departments. A dramatic example of this is the University of Washington’s Engineered Biomaterials Research Center (UWEB). This NSF funded ERC started in 1996 and is housed in the Department of Bioengineering.

In the last five years, the Department has completed the transformation to an integrated materials science & engineering department. The undergraduate curriculum has been revised and now offers only one degree, a BS in Materials Science & Engineering. At the graduate and research level, new programs have been initiated in polymers, biomaterials, nanomaterials, photonics and magnetic materials. The changes in the last five years are discussed in detail in this document.