The MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY (MRS) prides itself on being a mission-focused society. In 2012, we made great strides in moving that mission forward, creating and expanding programs, products and services to better meet the evolving needs of our members and the materials community. We believe that these efforts will yield tremendous benefits for current and future generations of materials researchers.

What better place to begin a year-end review than with a look at our service to community. Perhaps the most critical challenges still facing materials research are public awareness and support for science. Over the past decade MRS has greatly expanded its outreach efforts, developing a far-reaching series of programs that expose students, government and the general public to the excitement of discovery and the significance of science in their daily lives. In 2012 alone, our multilingual Strange Matter science museum exhibit completed its 10th year touring major North American cities, the NOVA series MAKING STUFF—Stronger, Smaller, Cleaner, Smarter was rebroadcast to over 7.8 million viewers, and we introduced a new Science Enthusiasts section of the MRS website. On the advocacy front, MRS has increased communication with government offices, often times in collaboration with other professional societies. In doing so, we seek to broaden awareness of science among our policymakers, highlighting the critical link between research, materials and innovation.

Going a step further, we were proud to introduce the Materials Research Society Foundation in October. This transformative accomplishment will allow us to focus on member engagement and funding to enrich and expand MRS programs in education, outreach, and peer recognition. The Foundation will benefit a wide range of innovative grassroots, member-driven initiatives—from student chapter proposals, to local or regional education/outreach projects, to those with the potential to impact the materials enterprise worldwide—with the first project grants awarded at the 2013 MRS Spring Meeting in San Francisco.

Of course, we owe much of our success last year, as every year, to the passionate and dedicated volunteers who donate their valuable time partnering with MRS members and staff to share the excitement of cutting-edge materials research. The MRS Spring and Fall Meetings have long been considered our forte, and the 2012 events did not disappoint. With over 12,000 presentations in 106 symposia, MRS extended a long succession of record-setting meetings, bringing attendees a broad range of talks about research on the leading edge of materials science. The Fall Meeting Exhibit in Boston also broke records, hosting 255 exhibitors. New at the 2012 MRS Fall Meeting—MRS TV and MRS OnDemand®—creating a virtual meeting experience for those who could not attend the Meeting in person. In addition to producing an archive of award talks and other presentations, MRS live-streamed a five-day symposium on Materials as Tools for Sustainability, including interactive sessions with students from Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. In all, researchers from 56 countries participated, at no cost, in real-time sessions, asking questions and joining the conversation. And that is just the beginning! The recent proliferation of social media and new technologies will allow MRS to continue on this path, moving from dissemination of information to virtual engagement and global interactions unimaginable just a few short years ago.

On the communications side, MRS’s partnership with Cambridge University Press continued to produce high-quality publications and introduce innovative new products. In June, MRS and Cambridge launched Materials360 Online, a website specifically designed to provide multimedia news about materials research and researchers. MRS Bulletin published two special issues last year—a first for MRS—with the Materials for Sustainable Development issue published in April and the Graphene: Fundamentals and Functionalities expanded issue in December. Journal of Materials Research produced six Focus Issues in 2012, more than ever before, devoting entire issues to hot topics in materials science. And our newest journal, MRS Communications, completed its first full year of publication. In addition to research letters, which form the journal’s core, MRS Communications published four Prospectives articles, offering succinct and forward-looking reviews of topics of interest to a broad materials research readership.

International collaboration was also key to our success in 2012. Our collaborations with Sociedad Mexicana de Materiales (SMM) resulted in record attendance at the XXI International Materials Research Congress in Cancun and helped bring the Strange Matter museum exhibition to Mexico. A joint MRS/SMM University Chapter at Cinvestav-IPN in Mexico City was also recognized and will be a model for facilitating a worldwide University Chapter Program—an important step for fostering global interaction among future leaders of the materials community. MRS also partnered with the Japan Society of Applied Physics (JSAP) on 11 of 54 technical symposia at the 2012 MRS Spring Meeting, and the energy-related symposia at the MRS Fall Meeting comprised the second annual MRS/E-MRS (European MRS) Bilateral Conference on Energy.

As we close yet another chapter in the dynamic story of the Materials Research Society, we are again reminded of our members, volunteers, partners, exhibitors, sponsors and headquarters staff—without whom these incredible accomplishments would not have been possible. Together, we continue to evolve in response to the needs of the scientific community, while remaining true to our mission … to advance materials … and to improve the quality of life.