Materials Science and Engineering Experts to Begin Second Phase of TMS Project

Leading materials science and engineering (MSE) experts from across the nation will begin their work in Pittsburgh on September 16 and 17 as members of the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) established to address the recommendations made in Linking Transformational Materials and Processing for an Energy-Efficient and Low-Carbon Economy: Creating the Vision and Accelerating Realization.

The “Vision Report”, as it is also known, was released in June 2010 as the culmination of the first phase of a two-part study spearheaded by The Minerals Metals & Materials Society (TMS), in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) and funded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The project was commissioned to support the development of a core materials science and engineering research and development portfolio to meet the nation’s energy challenges.

To provide structure and focus for future study, the Vision Report distills its key findings into four cross-cutting themes. For the project’s second phase, a Technical Working Group has been formed for each of the cross-cutting themes to develop technical roadmaps propelling the most promising technologies into real-world application. A final report consolidating their recommendations and addressing interdependencies is due out in late 2010.