Book excerpt: This volume, a continuation of the MEMS, NEMS, and molecular machines symposium of the 2002 MRS Fall Meeting, is devoted to the investigation of materials and device behavior at the micro-, nano-, and molecular scale as well as interdisciplinary work futhering the design and development of micro-, nano-, and molecular devices. New materials and fabrication techniques are introduced, and ongoing issues such as reliability, surface effects, processing and packaging, biocompatibility, and stability are discussed. Projects coupling micro-and nanoscale approaches to solve ongoing issues in the development of small-scale systems are featured. Topics include: nanotechnology; alternative fabrication techniques; micro- and nanofluidics; applied micro- and nanotechnology; mechanical properties; biotechnology and nanotechnology; alternative materials and metrology; and surface engineering and tribology.