The solid state ceramics community has traditionally focused its attention on optimization of a limited number of physical properties in a broad range of ceramic materials. The scope and depth of fundamental science of processing is very impressive and commercial successes, which have grown out of this research, are becoming increasingly common. The ceramics research community now has a fundamental science for the relation to microstructural development and the relation of microstructure to strength and toughness through micromechanics. The community will convene at the Ceramics Gordon Conference on Solid State Studies in Ceramics in the summer of 1999 and turn the its attention and skills towards new frontiers for the applications of ceramics. The goal of the conference is to establish, within a framework of the emerging technologies, outstanding critical fundamental scientific issues and approaches to their resolution. To accomplish this goal, new formats are being introduced to the conference: invited posters on a pre-selected topic, 2 panel discussion where senior people present short outlines of the topic, and then take questions from the floor, a poster competition, and a focussed session on education. Approximately 100 people will attend the conference, including faculty, students, industrial and government scientists, and government program officers. %%% Ceramics are being utilized in novel devices and new applications. Some of the development and utilization of ceramics in such emerging technologies has occurred outside of the traditional community of solid state ceramics. Emerging technologies often involve the use of ceramics at very small length scales. Current examples include miniaturization in consumer electronics, biochemical sensors, satellite communications, ferroelectric computer memories. This conference will help define the critical research areas to enable these emerging technologies. ***
