E
Results of the Community Poll
To understand better some of the globalization trends as perceived by members of the materials community, a Web-based poll was organized and completed over a 2-week period, November 8–23, 2004. With the assistance of materials professional societies, an e-mail announcing the poll was circulated to their members, who came from institutions in the United States and overseas (Figure E.1).
It is important to recall when considering the results of the poll that the exercise is based on a self-selected group of 719 respondents. While the range of societies assisting in this exercise was broad (the American Ceramic Society, the American Physical Society, the Federation of Materials Societies, the Materials Research Society, the Society for Biomaterials, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society), it cannot be claimed with certainty that the self-selected group is representative of the MSE community, which is increasingly interdisciplinary. The poll should, therefore, be considered to reflect in a general way the global nature of MSE activity. A more reliable poll would require the application of statistical criteria to achieve a response group that is statistically relevant. Figures E.2 through E.7 analyze the results of the questionnaire.