The Materials Research Society fall meeting to be held at the Hynes Convention Center, oston, MA, November 29 - December 3, 2004, will include a symposium on surface engineering and modification. Presentations will be made in the areas of ion beam surface modification, mechanical properties of surfaces and interfaces, hard and protective coatings, surface characterization, and tribology of wear resistant coatings. The symposium will include three days of oral presentations (nine invited talks) and forty-three posters. A symposium proceedings publication is planned. This request will support registration of invited speakers from the US and will provide broader participation from researchers (including graduate students) in universities, industry and government labs.