Technical progress report to the Department of Energy on the Solid State Sciences Committee (SSSC)

The Solid State Sciences Committee (SSSC) of the National Research Council (NRC) is charged with monitoring the health of the field of materials science in the United States. Accordingly, the Committee identifies and examines both broad and specific issues affecting the field. Regular meetings, teleconferences, briefings from agencies and the scientific community, the formation of study panels to prepare reports, and special forums are among the mechanisms used by the SSSC to meet its charge. This progress report presents a review of SSSC activities from May 1, 1992 through April 30, 1993. The details of prior activities are discussed in earlier reports. During the above period, the SSSC has continued to track and participate, when requested, in the development of a Federal initiative on advanced materials and processing. Specifically, the SSSC is presently planning the 1993 SSSC Forum (to be cosponsored with the National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB) and the Washington Materials Forum (WNM)). The thrust will be to highlight the Federal Advanced Materials and Processing Program (AMPP). In keeping with its charge to identify and highlight specific areas for scientific and technological opportunities, the SSSC continued to oversee the conduct of a study on biomolecular materials. Preliminary plans also have been developed for studies on neutron scattering science, on ultrasmall devices, and on molecular routes to materials