materials science

noun

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of materials science

: the scientific study of the properties and applications of materials of construction or manufacture (such as ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites)

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materials scientist

noun

Recent Examples of materials science from the Web

Equipment on board includes a lightning tracker, a materials science facility and two student genetics experiments, according to Space.com.

— james rogers, Fox News, "SpaceX launches 14th Space Station resupply mission," 2 Apr. 2018
Baran studies materials science and engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

— rachel k. hindery, chicagotribune.com, "Tech Savvy: Event at Triton College provides girls a glimpse at STEM careers," 26 Mar. 2018
Part of the issue is one of materials science: there are certain folding patterns in the wing that just can't be done by creating a crease in a single material or using the straight lines of origami.

— john timmer, Ars Technica, "Earwig’s wing inspires compact designs that fold themselves," 23 Mar. 2018
DowDupont eventually decided to break into three: material sciences, speciality products, and agriculture businesses.

— lucinda shen, Fortune, "Five Things to Know About Dow's New Openly-Gay CEO Jim Fitterling," 12 Mar. 2018
But the combined business is set to split next year into three companies based around its materials sciences, agriculture and specialty products divisions.

— chad bray, New York Times, "Andrew Liveris to Step Down as DowDuPont’s Executive Chairman," 12 Mar. 2018
Missy Cummings, a professor of mechanical engineering and material science at Duke University, has cautioned Congress on the risk of rushing to deploy self-driving vehicles on public roadways.

— adrienne roberts, WSJ, "Uber Crash Highlights Growing Safety Concern: Pedestrians," 23 Mar. 2018
Jim Fitterling, currently the chief operating officer of the materials science unit, will become CEO of the Dow brand in a spinoff expected to occur by the end of the first quarter of 2019, the company announced Monday morning.

— jeff neiburg, USA TODAY, "Longtime Dow Chemical chief Andrew Liveris is stepping down from management at DowDuPont," 12 Mar. 2018
Liveris planned to retire by mid-2017, but that was delayed as the company looked for a new head of its materials science business.

— Washington Post, "Tech gains but industrials slide, leaving indexes mixed," 12 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'materials science.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.