Basic science, at it purest, is hypothesis driven; measurements and calculations are designed to confirm or refute a hypothesis with optimized clarity. This has often resulted in “one of a kind” experiments or proof of principle calculations, obtained at the extremes of parameter space, e.g. perfect crystals or low temperature. In contrast, process engineering requires science that is high-throughput and addresses a wide range of parameters. Nonetheless, the powerful instruments designed for the pursuit of basic science now deliver incredible capability in terms of flux, resolution, time duration, temperature control, in-situ application of stresses and fields, and computational power. These tools reside in user facilities at the national laboratories and are available for open, applied science via user proposals. Through these facilities, the processing of materials can be observed at the nanoscale and  in real time via both measurement and computational modeling.

It will be argued that these capabilities will provide pictures of process that have clarity greatly surpassing that which was previously available. This will unleash the wealth of problem solving knowhow within the materials processing community, leading to  new levels of processing efficiency and to the development of entirely new products. Successful examples of  “science to application” will be given together with possible matches between the needs of the materials processing community and what science might bring to their applications.