The latest developments in ceramic and glass processing and characterization are covered including solution method and nanocrystalline powders, polymer precursor and sol-gel technology, microwave processing, novel processing methods, functionally graded materials, laminated object manufacturing, thin films and coatings, synthesis and characterization, diamond films, electrophoresis, and processing-microstructure-property relationships.

Proceedings of the symposium held at the 105th Annual Meeting of The American Ceramic Society, April 27-30, in Nashville, Tennessee; Ceramic Transactions, Volume 154.

J. P. Singh is the editor of Innovative Processing and Synthesis of Ceramics, Glasses, and Composites VII, published by Wiley.

Narottam P. Bansal received his Ph. D. in 1973 and is a Senior Research Scientist in the Ceramic Branch, Materials and Structures Division, NASA Glenn Research Center. He is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and is recipient of NASA's Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievements, R&D 100 Award and Hind Rattan Award from the NRI Society of India. Dr. Bansal is author/co-author of four books, six invited book chapters, three review articles, eight NASA Tech Briefs, and 215 research papers including 92 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has been awarded seven U.S. Patents.