Impact of New Materials Technology on Industry, Education, and the Engineer

During the centuries, materials technology has grown successively from simple stone working through composite structures to the sophisticated materials systems of today. The rate of development has been vastly accelerated during the past few years, particularly in the electronics industry. As these changes have occurred, the conventional engineering of the previous decade has been displaced by a new and considerably more involved engineering interdiscipline, placing additional stress upon the interaction and interplay of various fields. Further, because of these rapid changes, each practicing engineer is a candidate for technical obsolescence. The responsibility for combating this obsolescence rests not only with the individual, who has the most to lose, but also with the employer, the university, and society, who otherwise stand to lose the services of the individual.