Materials education: adapting to needs of the 21st Century

Abstract: What are Universities for? The short answer is: the creation, preservation and transmission of knowledge. The last of these -transmission -is what this Engineering Education symposium is about, but it can't be divorced from the other two. This paper is about the transmission of materials knowledge in ways that recognize the broader technical, economic and social conditions in which it takes place. A Materials education today must balance both depth, leading to expertise in the subject, and breadth, allowing material issues to be judged in the light of contemporary economic and societal concerns of the present and the future. This is consistent with the increasingly integrated nature of technical education and society's need for engineers that can make things happen. Materials teaching has already integrated a great deal. At one time metallurgy, polymer science, and glass and ceramic technology were taught in different departments, even at different universities; today they are generally integrated into a single program under the heading of Materials Science or Engineering Materials. There is now a move beyond this, towards what we will call Materials Systems and Design, integrating broader technical, economic, environmental and social issues and the skills necessary to make an effective engineer. This framework will encompass all the implications of, and trade-offs in, the adoption of materials in innovative design: not just the technical implications such as cost, strength or manufacturability, but also environmental impact, social awareness or material scarcity. Students will be prepared to take advantage of new technologies and learning opportunities throughout their careers