Greatest Moments in Materials Science and Engineering

About JOM

Published monthly by The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) (a member-based professional society), JOM is a technical journal devoted to exploring the many aspects of materials science and engineering.

The Materials Science and Engineering Community Around the Globe Has Spoken!

JOM is proud to announce that after months of voting and calculating, the number one material moment in history, as voted upon by the materials science community and the public at large, is:

Dmitri Mendeleev Devises the Periodic Table of Elements
(1864)

This virtually indispensable tool received the greatest number of votes when on-line voters were asked to rank materials moments from a list of 100 candidates. The top 10 moments were announced at the TMS 2007 Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, on February 26 as part of the commemoration of TMS’ 50th anniversary as a member society of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers.

Sponsorship of the Materials Moments

During the conference at which the top ten materials moments were announced, two organizations provided sponsorship support of presentation activities surrounding the moments. These organizations are EDAX, which sponsored Moment 9, and Thermo-Calc Software, which sponsored Moment 1. Their support of this initiative is gratefully acknowledged.

What Are Materials?

Materials are everywhere! The clothes we wear are made from a variety of manufactured materials, as are our homes, automobiles, computers, mp3 players, and every other device and gizmo that you can imagine. They all comprise materials systems especially designed to satisfy our needs in a reliable and (usually) lasting way. When separated from the products that serve us, the materials contained therein usually represent one of the following categories of substances:

Metals and Alloys
Ceramics
Plastics

Semiconductors
Composites

About TMS

Headquartered in the United States but international in both its membership and activities, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) is a rare professional organization that encompasses the entire range of materials and engineering, from minerals processing and primary metals production to basic research and the advanced applications of materials.

In support of its Mission statement and Strategic Plan, the society provides forums for the exchange of information; promotes technology transfer; promotes the education and development of current and future professionals; represents the profession in the accreditation of educational programs and in the registration of professional engineers (a U.S.-grounded activity); encourages professionalism, ethical behavior, and concern for the environment; and stimulates a worldwide sense of unity in the profession.