Welcome to The University Materials Council Web Site
The University Materials Council (UMC) is composed of Department Heads, Chairpersons, Directors, and group leaders from academic programs in the materials field in U.S., Canadian, and Australian universities. It serves as a forum for department heads/chairs/directors of materials programs to share best practices in many areas related to materials science and engineering, including student recruitment, ABET accreditation, emerging research areas, ideas for curricular improvements, patent right policies in universities, implications of the latest materials related studies, and the health of research funding for Materials Science and Engineering as well as a variety of other issues of interest to the academic community.
The University Materials Council held an NSF-sponsored Workshop on Gender Equity in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Maryland Conference Center, May 18-20, 2008. Read the final report.
NSF, the United States Department of Engergy, the Materials Research Society Foundation, the University Materials Council, and North Carolina State university sponsored the Workshop on Ethnic Diversity in Materials Science and Engineering at the Westin Arlington in Arlington, VA, December 9th-11th, 2012. Read the report here. |
UMC's Primary Goals
UMC conducts surveys to benchmark enrollments, degrees awarded, faculty
salaries, research funding, and graduate student stipends and holds discussions
at its meetings regarding the latest trends gleaned from the surveys. The
Council also maintains liaison with prominent materials societies and with
bodies such as the National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB) and the Federation
of Materials Societies (FMS). The primary goals of the Council are:
- To help define and influence new directions for the field
- To promote the field
- To strengthen the educational component of the field
- To foster improvements in numbers and quality of students in the