ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | NOVEMBER 2026 34 ASM members who are also members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) are a uniquely valuable group of materials experts. To tap this authoritative resource, ASM recently surveyed them about where materials engineering is headed and how ASM can best serve the community. Their perspectives and the resulting survey data are informing ASM International’s Technical Content Roadmap. (See the companion article.) METHOD In July, ASM emailed a survey to 82 people identified as members of both ASM International and the National Academy of Engineering. Most were members of NAE’s Section 9—Materials Engineering. Many had also received ASM awards and honors, including the Gold Medal, Honorary Membership, ASM Fellow, and various special lectureships. Their birth years ranged from 1929 to 1965. Their job roles spanned industry, academia, and government. The survey questions focused on their professional background, trends in materials engineering, and ASM’s role in the community. The survey drew a 29% response rate. CHARTING THE RESULTS Several survey questions asked respondents to assess where materials engineering is headed, drawing on their experience across research, practice, and the broader engineering community. Responses to two key questions are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. WHERE MATERIALS ENGINEERING IS HEADED: INSIGHTS FROM ASM’S NAE MEMBERS Observations from ASM members who also belong to the National Academy of Engineering shed light on the future of materials engineering and help shape ASM’s content strategy. OPEN-ENDED FEEDBACK The survey also included open-ended questions to draw out more detailed views on the future of the field. Two of those questions follow, each with a summary of the replies along with selected quotes. In your view, what are the most important trends or unmet challenges in materials engineering that the field needs to address over the next five to ten years? Please identify two or three. Frequently cited trends included finding substitutes for rare elements, making high-temperature superconductors practical, increasing toughness of structural materials, stabilizing supply chains for materials, designing for more reliable manufacturing processes, and strengthening workforce development and education. “One active trend (emerged around 2011) is integrated computational materials engineering (ICME). One recent emerging trend (in practice at visionary companies) is engineering concurrency: connecting innovative product design with novel materials.” – Aziz Asphahani, FASM, QuesTek Innovations LLC “Accelerated and optimized materials design for use and qualification on new products. Improved property- structure-process understanding and models for emerging tech like 3D printing.” – Jim Yurko, FASM Asphahani Yurko
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