Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T02:44:59.062Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Up Close: Materials Science in Spain—Its Dynamic Growth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2013

Get access

Extract

The year 1992 is very special for Spain: 500 years have passed since the discovery of the American continent. That discovery helped make Spain the most powerful country in the world in the 16th century. In time, though, Spain lost its influence to England, and materials processing played a surprising role in this transfer. It has been shown that one of the main reasons Spain's “Invincible Armada” was defeated by the English Navy was that the Spanish ships used faulty cannon balls. The balls were of such poor quality that, once fired, they disintegrated before they could damage enemy warships. Faulty material technology—low compactness or degree of sintering—caused the disintegration.

As we approach the 21st century, the Spanish scientific community has reached a high level of expertise in materials science. A decade ago, Spain's R&D activities were poorly funded and research was carried out without the necessary infrastructure. In 1986, the government established a national R&D strategy which included a dedicated Program for New Materials. In addition, the Regional Communities (Autonomias) have reinforced these nationally planned and funded R&D activities. And as a member of the European Community (EC), Spain has also begun integration into European R&D. After three years, Spanish scientists are already achieving success in the Brite/Euram Program at a level comparable to more scientifically and technologically advanced countries. Figure 1 shows the Spanish government's total R&D budget in materials science from 1985 to 1991, and additions from the EC since 1989. Clearly, financial support for materials science has increased dramatically in the last few years.

Type
Special Feature
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Howard, D., The Voyage of the Armada (Penguin Books, 1981).Google Scholar
2. For more information on Spanish Science Policy, contact CICYT, Interministerial Commission for Science and Technology, Rosario Pino, 14-16 Madrid 28020, Spain; phone, 34-1-5720098, ext. 271; fax, 34-1-5715781.Google Scholar
3. Cabrera started his research on magnetism in 1912 when he spent a few months with Pierre Weiss at the ETH, Zurich. Afterward he was actively involved in research on the magnetic properties of insulators, mainly on rare earth compounds. His research efforts and scientific interactions with the Rockefeller Foundation helped, among other factors, the Spanish Government to obtain a grant of $400,000 from the foundation in 1932 to open the Spanish National Institute of Physics and Chemistry.Google Scholar
4. For a report on CEAM, see “Magnetism in Europe” by Mitchell, I.V., scientific project director for CEAM, in the July 1990 MRS Bulletin XV (7) p. 5460.Google Scholar
5. WHH stands for Waugh, Huber, Haeberlen; MREV for Mansfield, Rhim, Elleman, and Vaughan.Google Scholar