PAUL PALMER has more than 10 years of experience in business and product development, marketing, planning, and related analysis with aerospace and related industries. His current emphasis is on commercializing new materials technologies at Thermo Fibergen. As a project manager at IBIS Associates, Inc., Mr. Palmer led consulting engagements with aerospace companies and government-industry consortia for advanced technology commercialization. Projects have included studies in the manufacturing costs of advanced ceramic fibers and their composites for the Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technology Consortium. He also has experience performing airframe structural analyses for General Dynamics Corporation (now the Tactical Aircraft Division of Lockheed-Martin).

KARL PREWO is manager of materials sciences at United Technologies Research Center. In this position, he directs a research group in the area of ceramics, metals and metal matrix, and ceramic matrix composites. He has more than 20 years of industrial research experience and has written many articles in the area of fiber-reinforced metals and ceramics. He is a recipient of United Technologies' highest award for engineering achievement, the George Mead Medal, the Medal of Excellence in Composite Materials from the University of Delaware Center of Composite Materials, and is a fellow of the American Society for Materials. Dr. Prewo has served on two previous National Research Council committees.

RICHARD E. TRESSLER is the head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Pennsylvania State University. His research interests include the fabrication and mechanical behavior of structural ceramic fibers and composite materials, fracture and strengthening mechanisms for structural ceramic materials, and integrated circuit processing and properties. Dr. Tressler is the recipient of the Science Achievement Medal from the U.S. Air Force and the Pace-Schwartz Walter Award from the American Ceramic Society. He is a fellow of the American Ceramic Society and a member of the Metal-lurgical Society of the American Institute of Mining, Metal-lurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, the Electrochemical Society, Sigma Xi, and Keramos. Dr. Tressler has also served on five previous National Research Council committees.

DAVID WILSON is a research specialist with 3M and has more than 10 years of research and development experience in the synthesis of new ceramic fibers using sol-gel techniques and is the inventor of the Nextel™ 610 and Nextel™ 720 ceramic fibers. His experience includes the development of novel fiber precursor formulations, continuous fiber processing, and characterization of ceramic fibers at room and elevated temperatures. Current research activities include preceramic polymer-derived SiC fibers and MOCVD coating and composite fabrication for the Mullite Matrix Composite Consortium Program. Mr. Wilson holds four patents and is the author of several publications.