If you have questions about the undergraduate program in Materials Science & Engineering at Cornell, don't hesitate to ask. You can always send us an
email or explore the rest of the
department website.
The Substance of Civilization, by Stephen L. Sass, Arcade Publishing (1999). Prof. Sass is a member of the Cornell MS&E Department. This book discusses the symbiotic relationship between culture and the evolution of technology as determined by materials science. Sass bridges the divide between history and science as he explains the unique properties of such key substances as clay, iron, glass, polymers, and silicon, as well as how they have affected every aspect of civilization, from warfare to religion, politics, education, art, and economics.
The New Science of Strong Materials, or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor, by J.E. Gordon, Princeton University Press (2006). J.E. Gordon, a professor at the University of Reading, provides this biographical narrative of the discovery of why some materials are strong, and some are not. This book is highly regarded as being both entertaining and educational.
Why Things Break: Understanding the World by the Way It Comes Apart, by Mark Eberhart, Three Rivers Press (2004). Eberhart, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines, explains why things break and what materials scientists are doing to make materials stronger and tougher. Why can you bend a piece of taffy into all kinds of shapes, while a peppermint stick breaks if you push on the middle of it? Why does adding carbon to iron make the resulting metal - steel - stronger, whereas adding sulfur brittles it, making it more liable to break?
Stuff: The Materials the World Is Made Of, by Ivan Amato, Harper Perennial (1998). Amato is a science writer. This easy-to-read book provides a history of the effect of new materials on society.
Materials Engineering on Wikipedia National Academies 1989 Report - The section "What is Materials Science and Engineering?" gives an excellent overview.
Cornell University
Materials Science & Engineering
214 Bard Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-1501
Michele Conrad
Undergraduate Coordinator
607.255.9159
email Dr. Christopher "Kit" Umbach
Undergraduate Lecturer
607.255.7339
email Prof. Shefford P. Baker
Director of Undergraduate Studies
607.255.6679
email
