Vision for the future of the science of alloys

Research in areas of relevance to the Hume-Rothery Award is a central element of the Metal, Ceramic, and Engineering Sciences subprogram under the Department of Energy Office of Science. This subprogram has supported a majority of the U.S. Hume-Rothery Award Winners in the past and spans a wide range of topics. One focus is on how structures and imperfections of all dimensions (point, line, plane, and volume) control materials behavior. A second focus is developing materials design based on rigorously valid, general structure-property relations. The subprogram includes thrust areas in synthesis, processing, and analysis of amorphous and nanostructured materials, modeling and characterization of complex systems, and support of user facilities, all of which are producing exciting, leading-edge research. Examples of the research supported in these areas are presented, along with an overview of the organization of the Department of Energy and its basic materials research program under the Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering.