Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution some 200 years ago

science and technology have progressed at an ever increasing pace and the world's economy has grown remarkably. For the past 40 years as a material scientist I have participated in the generation and application of technology to an industrial economy. My talk will present some of my observations and thoughts about that process. Technology drives economic growth. During the past 200 years advances in manufacturing technology have not only increased man's productivity but also his ability to enter new

more complex technologies on a practical scale. Material science is one of technology's fundamental supports. Most technologies are materials dependent

often materials limited. Commercial jet aviation

the growing global communication network of satellites and fiber optics and the worldwide automobile industry depended opon metallurgy

ceramics and polymer science for their growth during the past 30—40 years. While metallurgy and ceramics have been known for centuries

polymer science emerged only in the past 60—70 years. Its effects have been profound and are projected to bring even greater changes in the future. To be effective technology must be relevant

timely and properly applied. To meet these requirements requires the efficient processing of vast amounts of data in order to integrate society's needs and wants with man's scientific and technological capabilities and his material and human resources. Emerging computer technology is the path to efficieny in this field. As the economies of the world continue to grow

nations will become more interdependent. While there is powerful and determined competition today in the world's econmic arena

science

technology and economics are universal languages which drive increasing levels of cooperation and collaboration among nations.