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Posted on: 10/18/2012 12:00:00 AM... Human progress has largely been defined by the materials that form the basis of transformative technologies. In the last century, investments in research and development (R&D) have been critical to ensuring the deployment of new materials required for the advancement of solutions to the world’s most pressing needs, with R&D support considered a leading indicator of a nation’s innovative capacity and a precursor to its future growth, productivity, and sustainability. Exploring the connections between fundamental R&D and materials science, within the context of a complex and often volatile global economy, is the focus of a signature event being developed for the TMS 2013 Annual Meeting and Exhibition (TMS2013)—the Acta Materialia Materials and Society Award Special Symposium.

The symposium, slated for Tuesday, March 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Lila Cockrell Theater of the San Antonio Convention Center, is being organized to honor the accomplishments of Jeffrey Wadsworth, the 2013 Acta Materialia Materials and Society Award winner. The symposium topic—Global R&D Trends: Implications for Material Sciences—examines ideas that Wadsworth himself has helped shape as the chief executive officer and president of Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest nonprofit research and development organization.

The Acta Materialia Materials and Society Award recognizes outstanding contributions to understanding the relations between materials technology and society, and/or contributions to materials technology that have had a major impact on society.

Wadsworth will open the event with his keynote, “The Evolving R&D Model: International Trends and U.S. Competitiveness.” The themes that he raises in this discussion will be illuminated through a series of talks by thought leaders representing key facets of the MSE enterprise. The speakers and their topics are: Craig Barrett, retired chief executive officer/chairman of the board, Intel Corporation, "Research and Development—The Key to Competitiveness in the 21st Century"; Siegfried Hecker, emeritus director, Los Alamos National Laboratory, "Challenges for a Global Nuclear Energy Future"; William Nix, professor emeritus, Lee Otterson Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, "Linking the Challenges of Materials Technology with Opportunities in Materials Research"; Subra Suresh, director, National Science Foundation, "Global Science and Engineering."

Kevin Hemker, the Alonzo G. Decker Chair of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, and symposium organizer, said that a goal of the event is to “provide the materials community with an insightful perspective on the globalization of research and development, as told by some of our most highly respected members.”

Said Wadsworth, in previewing a few of the points he will make in his address, “Typically, in a global recession, there is the temptation to reduce R&D. This has not occurred. Countries and companies have recognized the link between R&D and economic prosperity and have decided to increase spending amidst the global economic slowdown.”

“However, in this age of instant gratification, there is an expectation that increased R&D funding will generate greater financial returns in a shorter amount of time,” Wadsworth continued. “This is unrealistic, as research and basic science can take years to produce tangible results. Unfortunately, many do not understand this relationship, which is leading to some questionable actions and programs.”

With this increase in total global R&D investment, Wadsworth observed that there has also been a noticeable shift in spending patterns. “The U.S. still leads in world innovation, but other countries are catching up,” he said. “We are now in a global race for discoveries.”

This article was excerpted from a larger feature that will appear in the December JOM. To register for TMS2013 and ensure your chance to attend the Acta Materialia Materials and Society Award Special Symposium, visit the TMS2013 website.