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Committee on Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics
Board on Physics and Astronomy
National Research Council
On This Page
- Interim report: The Physics of Materials: How Science Improves Our Lives
- Background information on the study
- Opportunities for community input
- The study's approach and scope
- The current schedule
- A roster of the study committee
- Information about the June 1996 workshop
- Final Report
Background
As part of the new physics survey being undertaken by the Board on Physics and Astronomy, a study of condensed-matter and materials physics was initiated in early 1996 by the Board's Solid State Sciences Committee (SSSC). This study is being conducted by the Committee on Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics (CMMP). The study's broad purpose is to assess scientific progress in the field and the impact of recent advances and developments.
Input from the Community
The widest possible participation by the condensed-matter and materials community will be important to the success of this activity. In planning the study, the SSSC worked with the American Physical Society - Division of Materials Physics, the APS Division of Condensed-Matter Physics, and the Materials Research Society. The study committee has also held several public discussion forums at meetings of these professional societies. A key early source of input from the community was a workshop in June 1996.
Approach and Scope
The study includes the following:
- an illustrative recounting of the major research accomplishments of the field over the last decade;
- an analysis of the impact of this research on technology;
- an evaluation of the infrastructure and research modes of the field today, including both large facilities and principal-investigator research, with recommendations for increased effectiveness;
- an examination of demographics and career issues;
- an analysis of the implications of the above on student training and employment, with an emphasis on the university/industry interface; and
- an assessment of the standing of the U.S. effort relative to that of other countries.
The first step will be the preparation of a short report, intended to be accessible to a wide audience, that highlights some research areas at the scientific forefront, demonstrates the field's impact on our daily lives, and briefly describes the major issues that the field faces. A more extensive and detailed report will be produced at the conclusion of the study.
Schedule
The schedule for the study is as follows:
March 17, 1996
Discuss study with DMP and DCMP executive committees and representatives of MRS
May 1996
Appoint study committee
June 1-2, 1996
Workshop on Research Forefronts in Washington, D.C.
June 3, 1996
Committee meeting in Washington, D.C.
July 1-2, 1996
Committee meeting in Irvine, Calif.
August 28, 1996
Subcommittee meeting in Santa Barbara, Calif.
October 8-9, 1996
Committee meeting in Washington, D.C.
February 13-14, 1997
Committee meeting in Irvine, Calif.
March 19, 1997
Public discussion forum at APS meeting
April 2, 1997
Public discussion forum at MRS meeting
June 19-20, 1997
Committee meeting in Cambridge, Mass.
September 11-12, 1997
Policy workshop
November 1, 1997
Interim report published: Physics of Materials: How Science Improves Our Lives
February 1-2, 1998
Final committee meeting
February 16-17, 1999
Solid State Sciences Committee Forum releasing final report. More information on the Forum may be found on the SSSC home page.
Spring 1999
Publish final report
Interim Report
The committee has prepared a short 30-page report entitled The Physics of Materials: How Science Improves our Lives. The report is an early output of the study that is intended to convey research highlights and their connection with everyday life to a broad audience.
Final Report
The final report of the committee, Condensed-Matter and Materials Physics: Basic Research for Tomorrow's Technology, can be ordered from the National Academy Press.
Committee Membership
Venky Narayanamurti, Harvard University, Chair
James B. Roberto, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Vice Chair
Gabriel Aeppli, NEC Research Institute
*Arthur Bienenstock, Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory
J. Murray Gibson, University of Illinois
Steven Girvin, Indiana University
Mark Ketchen, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
Edward Kramer, Cornell University
James S. Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara
Cherry A. Murray, Lucent Technologies
V. Adrian Parsegian, National Institutes of Health
Paul S. Peercy, Semi/Sematech
Julia M. Phillips, Sandia National Laboratories
Robert C. Richardson, Cornell University
Frans Spaepen, Harvard University
Katepalli R. Sreenivasan, Yale University
NRC Staff:
Donald C. Shapero, Director
Kevin Aylesworth, NRC Staff Officer
* Resigned in November, 1997 to take up position as Associate Director for Science at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President.
The June 1996 Workshop
A workshop held on June 1-2, 1996, was a key source of input to the study. It included
talks on research areas within condensed-matter and materials physics, each of which included
- a retrospective survey of the field's impact over the last decade or so,
- an exposition of its current vitality, and
- a vision of its future direction;
talks on infrastructure and policy issues of concern to the community;
- brief presentations from agency leaders to explain what kind of recommendations would be useful to them as output from the study; and
- extensive breakout sessions and discussion periods.
A complete agenda of the workshop is online.
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